THE  ROBERT   E.  COWAN  COLLECTION 


BANCROFT    LIBRARY 


,.-•/;.: 


ilfi 


FOUR    MONTHS 


AMONG  THE  GOLD-FINDERS 


IN 


CALIFORNIA : 


BEING 

THE  DIARY  OF  AN  EXPEDITION  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO 
TO  THE  GOLD  DISTRICTS. 


BY 


J.  TYRWHITT  BROOKS,  M.D. 


NEW-YORK: 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY,  200  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA: 

GEO.  S,  APPLETON,  164  CHESNUT-STREET. 
M.DCCC.XLI5. 


WORKS   ONJTHE   USEFUL   ARTS. 

D.  Appleton  fy  Company,  have  recently  published, 
A   NEW   EDITION   COMPLETE  WITH   THE    SUPPLEMENT,  OF 

A  DICTIONARY 

OF 

ARTS,  MANUFACTURES,  AND  MINES, 

CONTAINING  A  CLEAR  EXPOSITION  OF  THEIR  PRINCIPLES  AND  PRACTICE. 

Illustrated  with  1500  Wood  Engravings. 
BY  AWOREW  CJRE,  M.  ».,  F.  R.  S.,  &c. 

One  stout  volume,  8vo,  of  1640  pages,  strongly  bound  in  leather,  $5. 

"Dr.  Ure's  Dictionary,  of  which  the  American  edition  is  now  completed,  is  a  stupendous  proof  of  persevering  assiduity, 
combined  with  genius  and  taste.  For  all  the  benefit  of  individual  enterprise  in  the  practical  arts  and  manufactures,  and  for  the 
enhancement  of  general  prosperity  through  the  extension  of  accurate  knowledge  of  political  economy,  we  have  not  any  work 

worthy  to  be  compared  with  this  important  volume We  are  convinced  that  manufacturers,  merchants,  tradesmen, 

students  of  natural  and  experimental  philosophy,  inventive  mechanics,  men  of  opulence,  members  of  legislatures,  and  all  who 
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and  the  augmentation  of  social  comforts  with  the  national  weal,  will  find  this  invaluable  "  Dictionary"  a  perennial  soucre  of 
salutary  instruction  and  edifying  enjoyment." — National  Intelligencer. 

"  It  is  a  publication  of  most  decided  and  permanent  value,  one  of  which  no  library  should  be  destitute.  It  is  filled  with  infor 
mation  upon  precisely  those  subjects  with  which  every  one  should  be  familiar,  upon  the  practical  operations  of  the  arts,  the 
scientific  principles  and  processes  of  mechanics,  and  the  history  of  all  improvements  in  every  department  of  Science  and  Industry. 
The  author  is  a  man  of  eminence  and  ability,  and  the  work  enjoys  the  highest  reputation  in  England,  where  it  was  first  published. 
We  trust  it  will  be  welcomed  by  the  intelligent  in  every  class  of  our  citizens." — New-  York  Tribune. 

"  This  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  important  practical  scientific  works,  which  the  present  century  has  produced.  It  is-. 
not  only  invaluable  as  a  book  of  reference,  but  it  presents  the  various  subjects  of  which  it  treats,  with  so  much  perspicuity  as  to 
bring  them  quite  within  the  reach  of  an  ordinary  intelligence.  Every  scientific  man  may  be  expected  to  possess  himself  of  the 
work  of  course  ;  and  we  can  commend  it  also  with  equal  confidence  to  all  not  professedly  men  of  science,  who  wish  to  be  enlightened 
in  respect  to  a  thousand  things  of  which  the  great  mass  are  indeed  profoundly  ignorant,  but  which  yet  enter  deeply  into  the 
economy  of  civilized  society." — Albany  Jlrgus. 

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English  press,  but  had  no  idea  that  it  was  so  comprehensive  a  work  as  it  is,  or  got  up  at  any  thing  like  the  labor  and  expense  that 
have  evidently  been  bestowed  on  it.  It  should  have  been  called  a  History  of  the  Arts,  etc.,  for  it  omits  nothing  that  is  necessary 
to  be  known  of  any  of  the  various  subjects  which  it  treats  of." — New-York  Courier  and  Knquircr. 

"  We  have  received  this  excellent  work  from  the  press  of  the  Messrs.  Appleton,  at  a  price  placing  it  within  the  reach  of  the 
thousands  to  whom  it  must  soon  become  a  book  of  absolute  necessity.  Of  Dr.  Ure's  eminent  reputation  as  a  man  both  of  high 
science  and  extensive  practical  experience  in  its  application,  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak." — Democratic  Review. 

"  This  work  is  indeed  what  it  professes  to  be,  an  Encyclopedia  of  every  thing  in  the  Arts,  Manufactures  and  Mines.  The 
facts  are  derived  from  sources  of  unquestionable  authority,  and  the  explanations  are  clear,  comprehensive  and  satisfactory.  We 
regard  the  publication  not  only  as  one  or  the  most  useful  but  one  of  the  cheapest  of  the  day.  The  information  contained  in  the 
pages  of  this  Dictionary  is  in  a  great  measure  imperishable,  and  may  be  referred  to  with  as  much  confidence  many  years  to  come 
as  now.  How  much  better,  the  gill  of  such  a  work  to  a  student,  an  artist,  a  manufacturer,  than  any  of  the  trashy  and  perishable- 
productions  with  which  the  press  is  so  constantly  teeming." — Philadelphia  Enquirer. 

"  There  is  an  astonishing  amount  of  useful  information  condensed  into  the  compass  of  this  dictionary,  forming  a  perfect  vadc 
mecum  to  the  inquirer  after  scientific  facts."— Buffalo  Advertiser. 

THE    BOOK    OF   USEFUL    KNOWLEDGE. 


A  CYCLOPEDIA 

OF    SEVERAL    THOUSAND 

PRACTICAL     RECEIPTS, 

AND 

COLLATERAL  INFORMATION 

IN  THE 

ARTS,  MANUFACTURES,  AND  TRADES: 

INCLUDING 

MEDICINE,  PHARMACY,  AND  DOMESTIC  ECONOMY, 

DESIGNED  AS  A  COMPENDIOUS 

BOOK     OF     REFERENCE, 

FOR  THE 

MANUFACTURER,  TRADESMAN,  AMATEUR,  AND  HEADS  OF  FAMILIES. 

BY  ABNOLD  JAMES  COOLEY. 

ILLUSTRATED   WITH  NUMEROUS   WOOD    ENGRAVINGS. 

One  Volume,  8vo.,  of  650  Pages.     Piice  §2  50  bound. 


stantly  require  her  attention  and  judgment. 

Mr.  Cooley's  CYCLOP/EDIA  amply  supplies  the  deficiency,  in  its  application  to  all  the  ordinary  purposes  oHife,  The  means  to 
promote  comfort  and  economy  in  the  domicil  are  unfolded.  "  Bakers,  and  Confectioners,  and  Giocers,  especially,  will  learn  from  it 
the  most  advantageous  methods  to  secure  good  articles  at  the  lowest  cost.  Chemists  and  Druggists  will  comprehend  the  most 
approved  and  scientific  methods  to  obtain  the  surest  effects  of  their  pharmaceutical  labors.  Agriculturists  will  disc-.N  or  the  most 


1  aper  Makers,  and  Typographers  will  also  find  their  business  explained  ;  while  Den  tin.-:  anil  Phunographers  will  equally  be  interested 
in  the  increased  knowledge  which  they  will  imbibe  of  their  respective  ails  and  protes>ions,  from  Mr.  Coolt-y's  laborious  resear.--.lv*, 
Hence,  his  CYCLOPEDIA  OF  PRACTICAL  RKOKII-TS  offers  to  all  persons  advantages  unnarallelcd  by  any  similar  production 


FOUR  MONTHS 


AMONG  THE  GOLD-FINDERS 


IN 


CALIFORNIA ; 


BEING 


THE  DIARY  OF  AN  EXPEDITION  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO 
TO  THE  GOLD  DISTRICTS. 


BY 

J.  TYEWHITT  BROOKS, 


e-U/tL  ,  V^wv^. 


NEW-YORK  : 
D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY,  200  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA: 
GEO.  S.  APPLETON,  164  CHESNUT-STREET. 

M.DCCC.XLIX. 


X 


Bancroft  Li! 


P  PEFACE. 


THE  accompanying  diary — some  interesting  circumstances  con 
nected  with  which  will  be  found  in  the  letter  which  commences 
the  present  volume — was  sent  home  by  the  Author  merely  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  members  of  his  own  family  and  a  few  pri 
vate  friends.  It  has  been  submitted  to  the  public  in  the  hope  that, 
as  an  authentic  record  of  a  variety  of  interesting  particulars  con 
nected  with  the  original  discovery  and  present  condition  of  the 
Gold  Districts  of  California,  it  will  not  fail  to  prove  acceptable. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER         ...........        13 — 16 

CHAPTER  I. 

Clearing:  the  Faranolles — Making  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco 
— The  passage  through  the  Strait — Appearance  of  the  Bay — Town  of 
San  Francisco — The  anchor  is  let  go — The  Author  goes  on  shore — His 
bad  luck — Sweeting's  Hotel — The  Author  and  Mr.  Malcolm  propose 
visiting  the  American  settlements — They  become  acquainted  with  Captain 
Fulsom  and  Mr.  Bradley — Object  of  the  Author's  visit  to  California — 
Mr.  M'Phail  leaves  for  Sonoma — Tlie  houses  of  San  Francisco,  and  their 
inhabitants — Native  Californians — Senoritas  and  cigarettes  .  .  17 — 18 

CHAPTER  II. 

Start  for  Monterey — Horse  equipments  in  California — The  advantages  of 
them — Rifles  and  Ruffians — Californian  scenery — Immense  herds  of  cat 
tle — Mission  of  Santa  Clara — Pueblo  of  San  Jose — A  Californian  farm 
house — What  it  is  like  inside  and  out — Prolific  crops  of  wheat — Saddle- 
sickness — The  journey  is  resumed — Mission  of  San  Jose — Arrival  at 
Monterey — The  Author's  visit  to  Col.  Mason — Surgeons  not  wanted  in 
California — Rumors  of  gold  being  found  on  the  Sacramento — Characte 
ristics  of  Monterey — Don  Luis  Palo  and  his  sisters — What  all  Califor 
nian  dinners  consist  of — The  party  returns  to  San  Francisco  .  18 — 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

An  arrival  at  San  Francisco  from  the  gold  district — Captain  Fulsom  intends 
visiting  the  mine — The  first  Alcalde  and  others  examine  the  gold — Par 
ties  made  up  for  the  diggings — Newspaper  reports — The  Government 
officers  propose  taking  possession  of  the  mine — The  Author  and  his 
friends  decide  to  visit  the  Sacramento  y alley — A  horse  is  bought — In 
crease  of  the  gold  excitement — Work-people  strike  work  and  prepare  to 
move  off — Lawyers,  storekeepers,  and  others  follow  their  example — The 
Author's  journey  delayed — Ten  dollars  a-day  for  a  negro-waiter — Wait 
ing  for  a  saddler — Don  Luis  Palo  arrives  from  Monterey  on  his  way  to 
the  mines — The  report  of  the  Government  taking  possession  of  the  mines 
contradicted — Desertion  of  part  of  the  Monterey  garrison — Rumored  ex 
tent  of  the  mines — The  Author  and  his  friends  agree  to  go  in  company — 
Return  of  M'Phail — Preparations  for  the  journey — "  Gone  to  the  dig 
gings"  ,  21—24 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  party  leave  San  Francisco — Cross  to  Sausalitto  with  horses  and  baggage 
— Appearance  of  the  cavalcade — Jose's  method  of  managing  horses — 
Character  of  the  country  passed  through — Stay  at  Sonoma  for  the  night 
— A  Yankee  hotel-keeper's  notion — The  author  meets  with  Lieutenant 
Sherman — Receives  from  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Captain  Slitter — 
Napper  Valley — Sleep  at  the  house  of  a  settler — Troublesome  bed-fellows 
— Wild-looking  Scenery — Bradley  is  injured  by  a  fall  from  his  horse — 
Difficulties  in  the  way  of  pitching  a  tent — A  hint  to  the  bears — Supper 
and  bed — Resume  the  journey — Sacramento  Valley — Elk  and  wild  fowl 
— A  long  halt — A  hunting  party — A  missing  shot  .  .  .  24 — 26 

CHAPTER  V. 

Encampment  for  the  night — Symptoms  of  neighbors  not  far  off — Reach  the 
Sacramento  River — Sutler's  Fort — Captain  Sutter — His  offer  of  accom 
modation — Various  matters  to  be  seen  to — A  walk  through  the  Fort — 
Desertion  of  the  guard  to  the  "  diggings" — Work  and  whisky — Indians 
and  their  bargains — A  chief's  effort  to  look  like  a  civilized  being — Yan 
kee  traders — Indians  and  trappers — "  Beats  beaver  skins" — Death  to  the 
weakest — A  regular  Spanish  Don  and  his  sen-ant — Captain  Sutter  a 
Swiss  Guard — His  prejudice  in  favor  of  "  constituted  authorities  "  26 — 29 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  journey  delayed — A  walk  to  the  camp — A  list  of  wants — Captain  Sut 
ler's  account  of  the  first  settlement  in  California — How  he  served  the 
Indians,  and  how  he  civilized  them — Breakfast — Captain  Sutler's  wife 
and  daughter — Ridiculous  stories  about  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines 
— Joe  Smith's  prophecy — An  Indian  ghost — Something  about  a  ship-load 
of  rifles 30—31 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Captain  Sutler's  account  of  the  first  discovery  of  the  gold — His  surprise  at 
Mr.  Marshall's  appearance  at  the  Fort — Mr.  Marshall's  statement — The 
mill-wheel  thrown  oul  of  gear — The  water-channel  enlarged — Mr.  Mar 
shall's  atlenlion  attracted  by  some  glittering  subslance — Finds  it  lo  be 
gold — First  imagines  it  to  have  been  buried  there — Discovers  it  in  great 
abundance — Takes  horse  to  Sutler's  Fort — Captain  Sutter  and  Mr.  Mar 
shall  agree  to  keep  the  matter  secret — They  start  off  to  ihe  mill — Proceed 
up  Ihe  Fork — Find  ihe  gold  in  greal  abundance — Relurn  to  the  mill — 
The  work-people  meet  them — A  knowing  Indian  and  a  sly  Kentuckian — 
A  laboring  party  organized — Digging  and  washing  for  gold — The  news 
spreads — People  flock  to  the  diggings — Arrival  of  Mormons — The  gold 
found  to  be  inexhaustible — Men  of  science  as  blind  as  the  rest  of  the 
world 31—34 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Author  and  his  friends  leave  Sutler's  Fort— Tents  in  the  bottom — A 
caravan  in  motion — Green  hills  and  valleys — Indian  villages — Califor- 
nian  pack-horses — A  sailor  on  horseback — Lunch  at  noon — A  trouble 
some  beasl — Sierra  Nevada — Firsl  view  of  Ihe  lower  mines — How  Ihe  gold 
is  dug  and  washed — The  "  cradle" — The  diggers  and  their  slock  of  gold 
— A  store  in  course  of  conslruclion — The  lenl  is  pilched — The  golden 
ilch — First  attempts  at  gold-finding — A  hole  in  the  Saucepan — Sound 
asleep 34 — 38 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Two  horses  stray  away — How  orders  were  enforced  at  the  digs 

day  work — Nature  of  the  soil — Inconveniences  even  in  gold  getting — 
Dinner  and  rest — A  strike  for  higher  wages — A  walk  through  the  dig 
gings — Sleeping  and  smoking — Indians  and  finery — Californians  and 
Yankees — Runaway  sailors  and  stray  negroes — A  native-born  Ken- 
tuckian — "  That's  a  fact" — A  chapel  at  the  diggings — A  supper  with  an 
appetite 38 — 40 

CHAPTER  X. 

Digging  and  washing,  with  a  few  reflections — A  cradle  in  contemplation — 
•Scales  to  sell,  but  none  to  lend — Stock  of  gold  weighed — More  arri 
vals — Two  new-comers — Mr.  Biggs  and  Mr.  Lacosse — Good  order  pre 
vails  at  the  mines — Timber  bought  for  the  cradles — The  cradles  made — 
The  cradles  worked — The  result  of  the  first  day's  trial  .  .  .  41 — 44 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  proceedings  of  the  week — Visit  from  Mr.  Larkin — What  will  the  Go 
vernment  do  ? — What  "  enough"  is — San  Francisco — Houses  and  ships 
deserted — A  captain  and  ship  without  a  crew — A  ship  without  a  crew  or 
captain — Wages,  newspapers,  and  shovels — The  Attorney-General  to  the 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands — Something  for  the  lawyers — Gold-diggers 
by  moonlight — Mr.  Larkin's  departure — Provisions  run  short — Seek  a 
supply  at  Sutler's — Good  luck — Diggings'  law — Provisions  arrive — A 
wagon  wanted — Arrival  of  Californians  and  their  families — Gay  dresses 
and  coquettish  manners — Fandangos — El  Jarabe — The  waltz — Lookers- 
on  and  dancers — Coffee,  and  something  stronger — No  more  Sunday 
work — Jose  and  the  saints — The  Virgin  Mary  cheated — Contemplated 
migration  ....  - 44 — 49 

CHAPTER  XH. 

The  party  leave  the  Mormon  diggings — Cradles  sold  by  auction — Laughter 
and  biddings — The  wagon  sent  back — The  route  to  the  saw-mills — A 
horse  in  danger — A  miss  at  a  Koyott — An  antelope  hit — Mr.  Marshall — 
Venison  steaks  for  supper — The  saw-mills — Indians  at  work — Acorn 
bread — Where  the  gold  was — How  it  was  got — Gentlemen  and  horses — 
New-comers — "  Yankee  Doodle"  and  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner"  49 — 52 

CHAPTER  XIH. 

The  party  again  shift  their  quarters — The  river  forded — Horry  in  the  water 
— Mr.  Sinclair's  party  of  Indians — Deserted  Indian  villages — Weber's 
Creek — A  halt  made — Cradles  hollowed  out — A  commotion  in  the  camp 
— Col.  Mason  arrives  on  a  tour  of  inspection — His  opinions  as  to  what 
Congress  should  do — Military  deserters,  and  what  ought  to  be  done  with 
them — Return  of  Col.  Mason's  party  to  Suiter's  Fort — Bradley  accom 
panies  it  with  a  stock  of  gold — How  the  gold  was  packed,  and  what  pre 
cautions  were  taken  for  its  security 52 — 56 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Smoking  and  sleeping — Fever,  and  how  caused — Bradley  returns — A  doctor 
wanted — A  doctor's  fee  at  the  mines — Medicine  scarce — A  hot  air  bath 
and  a  cold  water  bath — Indians  engaged  to  work — Indian  thimble-rigging 
— An  Indian  gamester,  and  the  stake  he  plays  for — More  sickness — 
Mormons  move  off — A  drunken  dance  by  Indians — An  Indian  song  about 
the  yellow  earth  and  the  fleet  rifle — An  immodest  dance  by  Indian 
women  .  56 — 58 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  party  determine  to  start  for  Bear  River — Sickness  at  the  mines — What 
happened  to  a  drunken  Indian — An  old  trapper  and  his  stories — Captain 
Suiter's  first  settlement — Indians  partial  to  horse-flesh — A  score  of  horses 
stolen — An  expedition  to  revenge  the  theft — A  rancheria  demolished — A 
chorus  of  yells — Indians  routed  and  then  brought  to  labor — Tin — Bear 
River — The  trapper  engaged  as  guide — Preparations  for  the  journey — 
An  addition  to  the  party — The  journey  commenced — Rocky  country — 
Cross  the  North  Fork — An  incident  to  a  mule — Flour  cakes  and  bacon 
t  scraps — Resume  the  journey — Precipitous  ravines — End  of  the  jour 
ney  59—62 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  rest — A  solitude — No  gold  to  be  found — An  exploring  party — Good  for 
tune — Food  and  security — More  cradles — A  fortified  shanty  in  prepara 
tion — A  dessert  after  dinner — Dejection — Thoughts  about  home — No 
other  gold-finders  to  be  seen — Mormon  trail — Salt  Plain  and  the  Great 
Salt  Lake — A  weary  day's  journey  without  water — Saline  exhalations — 
The  inland  sea  and  its  desolate  shores — A  terrible  whirlpool — The  shanty 
finished — The  trapper's  services  retained — The  camp  visited  by  an  In 
dian  tribe— A  friendly  sign — The  pipe  of  peace — A  "  trade"  with  the 
Indians  declined — Some  depart  and  some  remain — Provisions  run  short — 
Hunting  expeditions — Something  about  a  bear  .....  63 — 66 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

A  rich  mine  of  gold  discovered — A  guard  both  night  and  day — A  good  morn 
ing's  work — An  Indian  scout — How  he  served  Dowling,  and  how  Dow- 
ling  served  him — A  look-out — Indians  seen  advancing — A  moment  of 
fear — A  yell — Arrows  and  rifles — A  wounded  chief  carried  off— The  field 
of  battle — The  return  to  the  camp — Horses  driven  off  by  Indians — 
Where  Jose  was  found — The  wounded  attended  to — An  after-dinner  dis 
cussion — How  the  watch  went  to  sleep,  and  how  they  were  woke  up — 
M'Phail  missing — Wolves,  deer,  and  a  puma — A  party  set  out  in  search 
ofM'Phail 67— 70 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Where  M'Phail  was  last  seen — The  trapper's  keen  eyes — A  nap  in  the  open 
air — The  Author  woke  up — Camp-fires — A  surprise  attempted — Horses 
left  in  charge — The  tactics  of  the  advance  and  the  retreat — A  shot  from 
a  rifle,  and  a  man  wounded — A  salute — The  rifle-shot  explained — 
Horses  driven  off — A  volley  fired — Poor  Horry  scalped — The  trapper 
promises  vengeance — The  wounded  man — Grief  at  the  loss  of  a  friend — 
A  mystery  explained — Horry 's  grave — His  funeral  and  monument  .  71 — 74 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  party  strengthen  their  defences — No  tidings  of  M'Phail — The  trapper 
goes  in  search  of  him — Returns,  having  met  with  no  success — M'Phail 
makes  his  appearance  accompanied  by  guides — His  adventures  while 
away — Finds  he  is  lost — Loses  his  rifle — No  supper — Loses  his  horse — 
No  food  for  three  days — Sinks  into  a  stupor — Is  discovered  by  two  In 
dians — Their  humane  treatment  of  him — They  conduct  him  by  slow 
marches  to  the  camp 74 — 76 


CONTENTS.  11 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Author  inclined  to  return  to  the  coast — Sickness  in  the  camp — Provi 
sions  run  low — What  is  to  be  done  with  the  gold  ? — Proposal  to  convey 
it  to  the  coast — Short  rations — Indians  visit  the  camp — The  invalids  of 
the  party — The  conveyance  of  the  gold  again  discussed — Suspicions  be 
gin  to  arise— Captain  Sutler's  receipt  missing — Bradley's  explanation — 
Further  discussions  about  the  gold — The  matter  at  last  arranged — No 
chance  of  rain 76 — 79 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  party  start  for  the  coast — How  the  carrying  of  the  gold  was  arranged — 
The  escort — Character  of  the  country  they  passed  through — Halt  at  noon 
— An  alarm — A  discovery — The  escort  return,  keeping  a  sharp  look-out 
— A  merry  evening — The  narrative  resumed — A  loud  whistle — "The 
best  part  of  the  gold  is  lost" — The  party  are  sullen  and  angry — Malcolm 
is  missing — Don  Luis's  explanation — A  lasso  whirls  through  the  air — A 
horse  shot — Malcolm  falls  to  the  ground — Bradley  fires,  and  with  effect 
— Retire  to  cover — A  discharge  of  rifles — The  enemy  wheel  off — Mal 
colm's  horse  is  missing — Malcolm  found  to  be  insensible — More  horse 
men — Tomas  Maria  Carillo — Robberies  at  the  mines — Brutal  conduct — A 
litter  procured — Malcolm  conveyed  to  a  shanty — A  kind  Californian 
woman — A  volley  of  inquiries  about  the  gold — "  It  is  the  doctor  you 
have  to  thank  for  that" — The  Author's  reflections  .  .  .  79 — 84 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  stock  of  gold  remaining  weighed  and  shared — Squabbling  over  it — The 
party  separate — The  Author  and  others  start  off — They  meet  with  La- 
cosse  and  the  trapper — Lacosse's  explanation — Arrive  at  Suiter's — Pur 
chase  flour  at  eighty-five  dollars  a  barrel — Camps  of  miners — A  gold- 
washing  colony — Encamp  for  the  night — Horses  and  flour  missing  in  the 
morning — Visit  a  big  bony  American — A  hole  threatened  in  their  skulls 
— How  quarrels  are  settled — Lacosse  promises  to  join  the  party  at  Sut- 
ter's — The  march  resumed — Arrive  at  Malcolm's  shanty — The  doctor 
prescribes  for  his  patient — Malcolm's  first  idea  of  the  lasso — The  party 
leave  for  Sutler's .  .  84 87 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  gold  district — Sickness  and  selfishness — The  dead  become  the  prey  of 
the  wolf— Malcolm's  gradual  recovery — The  kindness  of  his  nurse — A 
maferia — Life  and  property  alike  insecure — The  wealthy  gold-finder  laid 

in  wait  for — Bodies  in  the  river — Gold  for  a  pillow — Robberies — Rags 

Brandy  at  a  dollar  a  dram — The  big  bony  American  again — Suiter's  Fort 
— Intelligence  of  Lacosse — Intelligence  of  the  robbers — Sweeting's 

Hotel  again — A  meeting — "  El  Capitan" — Desertions  from  the  ships 

Andreas's  offer  to  a  captain — The  first  Alcalde  gone  to  the  mines — The 
second  Alcalde  follows  his  superior — Start  for  Monterey  in  pursuit  of 
Andreas — Board  the  vessels  in  port — A  deserter  arrested — Leave  Monte 
rey — Cross  the  coast  range — Meet  with  civilized  Indians — Intelligence  of 
the  robbers — Indian  horse-stealers — Continue  the  pursuit — Abandon  it, 
and  return  to  Monterey 87 93 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Author  and  his  friends  part  company-^-Their  regrets  at  the  separation — 
Friendship  in  the  wilderness — Friendship  at  a  supper — The  Author  finds 
himself  alone — Monterey  deserted — High  wages — Officers'  servants  not 
to  be  obtained — A  few  arrivals  from  the  mines — Stores  shut,  houses 
locked  up,  and  ships  left  defenceless 93 — 94 


LETTER. 


MONTEREY,  October  11, 1848. 

DEAR  GEORGE, — I  take  advantage  of  the  departure  of  a  courier 
sent  by  Colonel  Mason,  the  United  States  Governor  of  California, 
to  Washington,  with  dispatches,  to  let  you  know  what  I  have 
been  about  during  the  five  months  which  have  elapsed  since  I 
last  wrote  you.  Long  before  you  receive  this  you  will  have  heard 
in  England  of  the  extraordinary  occurrences  which  have  taken 
place  out  here.  My  last  letter,  which  I  hope  you  received,  told 
you  of  the  failure  of  the  emigration  scheme  to  Oregon,  and  of  my 
intention  of  leaving  that  barren,  desert-like  place,  the  first  possi 
ble  opportunity.  A  friend  of  mine,  of  whom  I  have  before  spo 
ken  to  you,  namely,  Mr.  Malcolm,  a  Scotchman,  and  a  thorough 
practical  agriculturist,  was  anxious  to  shift  his  quarters  to  Cali 
fornia,  the  soil  of  which  country  was  represented  by  every  one 
who  had  visited  it  as  of  extraordinary  fertility.  We  had  heard  of 
the  war  that  was  going  on  between  the  United  States  and  Mexi 
co  having  extended  itself  to  that  country,  and  Mr.  Malcolm  pre 
vailed  on  me  to  accompany  him  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
thought  I  might  manage  to  obtain  an  appointment  in  the  United 
States  army.  We  made  the  voyage  together,  and  the  accom 
panying  diary — of  which  more  by  and  by — commences  with 
an  account  of  our  first  setting  out. 

But  to  return  to  California.  I  assure  you  it  is  hardly  possible 
for  any  accounts  of  the  gold  mines,  and  of  what  I  may  call  gold 
gravel  and  sand,  to  be  exaggerated.  The  El  Dorado  of  the  early 
voyagers  to  America  has  really  been  discovered ;  and  what  its 
consequences  may  be,  not  only  upon  this  continent  but  upon  the 
world,  wiser  heads — heads  more  versed  than  mine  is  in  moneta 
ry  science — must  tell.  There  is  much  speculation  here  as  to  the 
effects  which  the  late  wonderful  discovery  will  produce  in  the 
States  and  the  old  country.  Of  course  we  expect  to  be  inundated 
with  emigrants,  coming,  I  suppose,  from  every  part  of  the  world, 
and  truly,  for  all  I  can  tell,  there  will  be  gold  enough  for  all. 

And  now,  the  first  question  you  will  ask  me  is,  whether  I 
have  made  my  fortune  ?    I  reply,  my   old  bad  luck  has  not  for- 
2 


]4  LETTER. 

saken  me.  I  always  seem  to  come  in  for  monkey's  allowance — 
more  kicks  than  halfpence.  Three  months  ago  I  thought  my 
fortune  was  made,  and  that  I  might  come  home  a  South  Ameri 
can  nabob.  Nothing  of  the  kind.  Here  I  was,  almost  on  the 
spot,  when  the  first  news  of  the  gold  was  received.  I  have 
worked  hard  and  undergone  some  hardships,  and,  thanks  to  the 
now  almost  lawless  state  of  the  country,  I  have  been  deprived  of 
the  great  mass  of  my  savings,  and  must,  when  the  dry  season 
comes  round  again,  set  to  work  almost  new.  I  have  but  fourteen 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  the  precious  metal  remaining,  and, 
with  the  rate  of  prices  which  now  universally  prevails  here,  that 
will  not  keep  me  much  over  a  couple  of  months.  My  own  case, 
though,  is  that  of  many  others.  As  the  number  of  diggers  and 
miners  augmented,  robberies  and  violence  became  frequent.  At 
first,  when  we  arrived  at  the  Mormon  diggings,  for  example, 
every  thing  was  tranquil.  Every  man  worked  for  himself,  with 
out  disturbing  his  neighbor.  Now  the  scene  is  widely  changed 
indeed.  When  I  was  last  there,  as  you  will  see  by  my  diary, 
things  were  bad  enough  ;  but  now,  according  to  the  reports  we 
hear,  no  man,  known  to  be  in  possession  of  much  gold,  dare  say, 
as  he  lays  down  his  head  at  night,  that  he  will  ever  rise  from  his 
pillow.  The  fact  is,  that  there  is  no  executive  government  of 
any  strength  here  to  put  an  end  to  this  state  of  things.  The 
country  is  almost  a  wilderness,  whereof  Indians  are  the  princi 
pal  inhabitants.  The  small  force  Colonel  Mason  has  here  has 
been  thinned  very  materially  by  desertions,  and  the  fidelity  of 
those  that  remain  is,  according  to  the  opinion  of  their  command 
ing' officer,  not  to  be  overmuch  depended  on. 

Of  course,  as  you  may  expect,  I  am  naturally  much  cast  down 
at  the  turn  which  matters  have  taken — I  mean  as  regards  my 
own  misfortunes.  It  is  heart-breaking  to  be  robbed  by  a  set  of 
villains  of  what  you  have  worked  so  hard  for,  and  have  under 
gone  so  much  to  obtain.  I  am  in  hopes,  however,  that  my  next 
gold  campaign  may  be  a  more  successful  one.  I  dare  say  there 
have  been  plenty  of  accounts  of  the  doings  in  California  in  the 
newspapers.  As,  however,  not  only  you,  but  Anna  and  Charley, 

and  my  kind  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss ,  and 

many  others,  will,  I  am  sure,  be  glad  to  know  something  about 
my  own  personal  adventures,  I  send  you  a  rough  diary  of  what  I 
have  seen  and  done.  I  hardly  know  whether  you  will  be  able 
to  make  the  whole  of  it  out,  for  I  have  interlined  it  in  many 
parts,  and  my  writing  never  was  of  the  most  legible  character. 
You  know  I  have  always  been  in  the  habit,  ever  since  I  first 
went  abroad,  of  jotting  down  some  record  of  my  movements, 
scanty  enough,  but  still  forming  a  memorial  which  it  is  pleasant 
to  look  back  upon.  As,  however,  the  gold  affair  is  not  only  a 
great  feature  in  a  man's  life,  but  in  the  history  of  our  times,  I  made 
pretty  full  jottings  of  my  adventures  every  few  days  j  and  since 


LETTER.  15 

I  returned  here  I  have  spent  a  few  days  in  expanding  them,  and 
adding  to  them  a  few  extra  particulars  which  I  thought  would 
be  of  interest.  I  don't  know  whether  you  will  care  to  wade 
through  such  a  bundle  of  information.  The  MS.  when  I  got  it 
all  together  quite  frightened  me,  and  I  hardly  liked  to  ask  Colo 
nel  Mason  to  transmit  such  a  bulky  parcel  for  me  ;  but  you  know 
our  couriers  over  here  travel  with  quite  a  cavalcade  of  horses, 
and  a  few  pounds  more  would  not  be  thought  much  of.  How 
ever,  as  it  may  prove  interesting  to  yourself — S —  —  I  know 
will  read  it  through  with  pleasure  and  delight  in  it— I  dispatch 
it  for  you  to  do  as  you  like  with.  It  will  .be  forwarded  to  a 
young  friend  of  mine  in  New  York,  Mr.  Thome,  to  whom  I  have 
written,  requesting  him  to  transmit  the  package  to  England  by 
one  of  the  monthly  steamers.  This  will  save  you  a  heavy 
charge  for  postage,  which,  I  dare  say,  you  would  not  thank 
me  for.  N 

You  can't  conceive,  my  dear  brother,  how  often  I  have  wish 
ed  you  were  out  here  with  me.  Your  engineering  talents  would 
have  been  invaluable  in  inventing  some  method  of  procuring  the 
gold  dust,  or  rather  of  separating  it  from  the  soil,  which  would 
have  been  much  more  effectual  than  the  rude  way  in  which  we 
went  to  work.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  now  thankful  you  are  at 
home.  It  is  easy  to  get  gold  here,  but  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep 
it.  In  fact,  after  all,  the  affair  is  a  hazardous  lottery ;  and  those 
who  may  succeed  in  getting  ofj  with  their  pounds  of  gold  dust 
and  flakes  to  Europe  or  to  the  settled  States,  will  be  the  few  who 
will  win  the  great  prizes. 

In  my  diary,  you  will  find  a  very  detailed  account  of  our  va 
rious  operations  and  successes.  The  first  place  we  made  for  was 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Americans'  river,  and  when  the  Lower 
or  Mormon  diggings,  as  they  are  called,  got  over-crowded,  we 
marched  off  further  up  the  river,  which  soon  divides  itself  into 
two  branches,  forming  the  North  and  South  Forks.  We  reached 
the  saw-mill,  where  the  discovery  was  first  made,  and  worked 
there  some  time;  but  finding  inconveniences  in  the  way,  and 
hearing  of  another  station,  we  started  again.  This  new  place  is 
called  Weber's  Creek,  and  sometimes  Rock  Creek,  and  is  a  small 
stream  running  into  the  North  Fork  of  the  river.  We  being  upon 
the  southern  bank  of  the  South  Fork,  and  Weber's  Creek  running 
into  the  North  Fork  at  the  north  bank,  we  had  to  ford  both 
branches  of  the  stream  to  get  to  our  new  station,  which  we  found 
very  productive ;  the  gold  being  more  plentiful  than  in  the  lower 
diggings,  and  discovered  in  short  veins,  and  in  lumps  amongst 
the  rocks  of  the  neighboring  ravines.  We  should  probably  not 
have  gone  any  further  than  Weber's  Creek — I  sincerely  wish  we 
had  not — but  a  good  deal  of  fever  and  ague  got  about.  The  sun 
was  terribly  hot  in  those  deep  valleys  all  day,  and  the  nights 
chill  and  damp.  After  some  weeks  here,  then,  we  got  restless. 


JQ  LETTER. 

and  set  off  once  more,  directing  our  course  three  days'  journey  to 
the  north,  to  a  place  upon  the  Bear  River,  where  we  were  led  to 
expect  not  only  plenty  of  gold,  but  a  better  temperature  and  a 
healthier  climate.  It  was  after  we  reached  Bear  Yalley  that  our 
reverses  began.  It  is  utterly  a  savage  country,  where  a  strong 
arm  and  the  rifle  form  the  only  code  of  laws.  Up  to  our  appear 
ance  on  Bear  River,  we  had  got  on  with  very  few  adventures, 
and  considerable  profit ;  but  now  came  misfortunes.  I  shall  not 
trouble  you  with  them  here :  they  are  written  at  full  length  in 
the  batch  of  MS.  I  send. 

I  hardly  know -what  to  do  with  myself  here  until  the  dry 
season  comes  round.  The  rains  have  not  begun  yet,  but  they 
may  be  expected  from  day  to  day,  and  then  I  suppose  we  shall 
have  a  vast  influx  from  the  interior,  as  it  is  quite  impossible  to 
camp  out  in  the  rainy  season.  Of  course  the  price  of  any  article 
of  food  and  clothing  will  be  excessive,  and  I  almost  think  that 
the  best  thing  for  me  to  do,  when  the  seamen  come  down,  and 
the  ships  are  manned  again,  will  be  to  try  and  get  a  passage 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  which  are  not  very  far  off,  and  in  which 
it  is  probable  that  living  is  reasonable.  I  could  easily  get  back  to 
the  mainland  in  time  for  the  next  dry  season.  What  changes 
may  take  place  by  that  time,  however,  I  know  not.  The  States 
may  claim  the  land,  and  the  gold  within  it,  and  send  an  army 
to  enforce  their  rights.  If  so,  a  terrible  scene  of  tumult  and  dis 
order  may  be  expected.  All  the  lawless  adventurers  who  are 
scattered  about  this  part  of  the  continent  are  flocking  down  to  the 
gold  regions,  so  are  the  Indians  ;  and  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  Jona 
than  will  have  a  tough  battle  to  fight  if  he  wants  to  keep  all  the 
bullion  to  himself. 

I  suppose  that  in  England  the  people  will  be  pricking  up  their 
ears  when  they  learn  what  we  are  doing  here,  and  that  we  shall 
have  plenty  of  emigrants  from  home.  I  hardly  like  to  advise 
upon  the  subject  here  ;  there  certainly  is  a  wonderful  amount  of 
gold.  What  the  chances  of  obtaining  it  and  getting  it  taken  home 
may  be  next  season,  I  know  not.  At  all  events,  the  pursuit  will 

be  difficult  in  the  extreme,  and  tolerably  dangerous  also. 

***#** 

Yours  affectionately, 

J.  TYRWHITT  BROOKS. 


FOUR   MONTHS 


AMONG   THE 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  ALTA  CALIFORNIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

*  *  *  I  felt  heartily  glad  to  hear  that  we  were  then  clearing 
the  Faranolles,  and  soon  hurried  upon  deck,  but  we  continued 
beating  about  for  several  hours  before  we  made  the  entrance  to  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco.  At  length,  however,  we  worked  our  way 
in  between  the  two  high  bluffs,  and  along  a  strait  a  couple  of 
miles  wide  and  nearly  five  miles  long,  flanked  on  either  side  with 
bold  broken  hills — passing  on  our  right  hand  the  ricketty-looking 
fortifications  erected  by  the  Spaniards  for  the  defence  of  the  pas 
sage,  but  over  which  the  Yankee  stars  and  stripes  were  now  float 
ing.  On  leaving  the  strait  we  found  ourselves  on  a  broad  sheet* 
of  rippling  water  looking  like  a  great  inland  lake,  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides  by  lofty  hills  on  which  innumerable  herds  of  cattle  and  hor 
ses  were  grazing,  with  green  islands  and  clusters  of  rock  rising 
up  here  and  there,  and  a  little  fleet  of  ships  riding  at  anchor. — 
On  our  right  was  the  town  of  San  Francisco. 

I  had  suffered  so  much  from  the  voyage,  that  when  the  anchor 
was  let  go  I  felt  no  inclination  to  hurry  on  shore.  M'Phail  and  Mal 
colm,  however,  went  off,  but  promised  to  return  to  the  ship  that 
night.  I  soon  after  turned  into  my  hammock,  and,  thanks  to  the 
stillness  of  the  water  in  which  we  rode,  .slept  soundly  till  morn 
ing. 

April  29th. — This  morning  we  all  rose  early,  and  went  on 
shore.  The  little  baggage  we  had  we  took  in  the  boat.  Mal 
colm  told  me  that  he  had  heard  the  war  was  over  between  the 
United'States  and  Mexico,  and  I  bitterly  congratulated  myself  on 
•experiencing  my  usual  run  of  bad  luck.  We  made  our  way  to 
Sweeting's  hotel,  which  Malcolm  and  M'Phail  had  visited  y ester- 


18  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

day,  and  stated  to  be  the  best  of  the  three  hotels  which  have 
sprung  up  here  since  the  Americans  became  masters  of  the  place. 

Malcolm  intends  making  an  excursion  lo  the  interior.  He 
proposes  to  visit  the  American  settlements,  and  to  satisfy  himself 
as  to  the  reputed  advantages  which  California  presents  as  an 
agricultural  country.  I  have  agreed  to  accompany  him.  We 
have  fallen  in  with  two  very  pleasant  American  gentlemen  at  our 
hotel  to-day — one,  a  Captain  Fulsom,  holding  some  appointment 
under  Government  here  ;  the  other,  a  young  friend  of  his  named 
Bradley.  We  had  some  conversation  together  on  the  ^ubject  of 
the  Mexican  war,  in  the  course  of  which  I  learnt  that  Mr.  Bradley 
has  been  a  resident  in  California  for  the  last  eight  years,  and  that 
he  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the  volunteer  corps  attached  to  the 
army  of  the  United  States,  while  military  operations  were  going 
on  in  this  country.  I  told  him  of  my  desire  to  enter  as  a  surgeon 
in  the  service  of  the  States,  and  he  promised  to  speak  to  Captain 
Fulsom  on  the  subject,  and  obtain  from  him  a  letter  to  Colonel 
Mason,  the  new  governor  ;  but  he  is  afraid  there  is  little  chance 
of  my  meeting  with  success,  as  nearly  all  the  volunteer  corps 
have  been,  or  are  about  to  be,  disbanded.  Both  Mr.  Bradley  and 
Captain  "Fulsom  speak  very  favorably  of  the  climate  and  soil  of 
California,  and  say  that  an  enterprising  agriculturist  is  sure  to 
make  a  speedy  fortune.  Mr.  Bradley,  who  has  agreed  to  accom 
pany  us  on  our  trip,  strongly  advises  Malcolm  to  shift  his  quarters 
from  Oregon,  and  settle  here,  saying  that  he  is  sure  my  friend  will 
do  so  when  he  has  once  seen  the  farms  in  the  Sacramento  valley, 
whither  we  are  to  start  early  next  week.  M'Phail  left  us  to-day, 
to  make  a  trip  to  Sonoma. 

San  Francisco,  although  as  yet  but  a  poor  place,  will  no  doubt 
become  a  great  emporium  of  commerce.  The  population  may  be 
about  a  couple  of  thousand  ;  of  these  two-thirds  are  Americans. 
The  houses,  with  the  exception  of  some  few  wooden  ones  which 
have  been  shipped  over  here  by  the  Americans,  are  nearly  all 
built  of  unburnt  bricks.  The  appearance  of  the  native  Californian 
is  quite  Spanish.  The  men  wear  high  steeple-like  hats,  jackets 
of  gaudy  colors,  and  breeches  of  velvet,  generally  cotton.  They 
are  a  handsome,  swarthy  race.  The  best  part  in  the  faces  of  the 
women  are  their  eyes,  which  are  black  and  very  lustrous.  The 
Californian  belles,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  spoil  their  teeth  by  smoking 
cigarettes. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MONTEREY. 

May  4.th. — Started  off  early  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  on  our 
journey  to  Monterey.  We  found  our  horses  in  readiness  in  the 
hotel  yard,  in  charge  of  a  servant  (here  called  a  vaquero)  of  Mr. 
Bradley's.  The  latter,  having  business  to  transact  at  Monterey, 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  19 

accompanied  us.  My  horse  was  equipped  after  the  Spanish 
fashion,  with  the  usual  high-pommelled  cumbrous  saddle,  with  a 
great  show  of  useless  trappings,  and  clumsy  wooden  stirrups,  and 
for  a  long  time  I  found  the  riding  sufficiently  disagreeable,  though, 
doubtless,  far  more  pleasant  than  a  coast  journey  would  have 
been,  with  a  repetition  of  the  deadly  sea-sickness  from  which  I 
had  already  suffered  so  much.  I  soon  found  out,  too,  the  advan 
tages  of  the  Spanish  saddle,  as  enabling  one  to  keep  one's  seat 
when  travelling  over  the  rough  broken  country  through  which 
our  road  ran.  Bradley  had  told  us  to  have  our  rifles  in  readiness, 
as  no  one  travels  any  distance  here  without  that  very  necessary 
protection,  the  mountains  near  the  coast  being  infested  with  law 
less  gangs  of  ruffians,  who  lay  in  wait  for  solitary  travellers. 

The  first  part  of  our  ride  lay  through  a  dense  thicket  of  under 
wood,  and  afterwards  across  parched-up  valleys,  and  over  low 
sandy  hills ;  then  past  large  grazing  grounds — where  cattle 
might  be  counted  by  the  thousand — and  numerous  ranches  or 
farms,  the  white  farm  buildings,  surrounded  by  little  garden 
patches,  scattered  over  the  hill  sides.  We  at 'length  came  to  an 
extensive  plain,  with  groups  of  oaks  spread  over  its  surface,  and 
soon  afterwards  reached  the  neglected  Mission  of  Santa  Clara, 
where  we  halted  for  a  few  hours.  On  leaving  here  our  road 
was  over  a  raised  causeway  some  two  or  three  miles  in  length, 
beneath  an  avenue  of  shady  trees,  which  extended  as  far  as  the 
outskirts  of  the  town  of  St.  Jose.  This  town,  or  pueblo  as  it  is 
called,  is  nothing  more  than  a  mass  of  ill-arranged  and  ill-built 
houses,  with  an  ugly  church  and  a  broad  plaza,  peopled  by  three 
or  four  hundred  inhabitants.  Not  being  used  to  long  journeys  on 
horseback,  I  felt  disposed  to  stop  here  for  the  night,  but  Bradley 
urged  us  to  proceed  a  few  miles  farther,  where  we  could  take  up 
our  quarters  at  a  rancho  belonging  to  a  friend  of  his.  Accord 
ingly  we  pushed  on,  and  after  a  ride  of  about  seven  miles,  di 
verged  from  the  main  road,  and  soon  reached  the  farm-house, 
where  we  were  well  entertained,  and  had  a  good  night's  rest. 

Like  the  generality  of  houses  in  California,  this  was  only  one 
story  high,  and  was  built  of  piles  driven  into  the  ground,  inter 
laced  with  boughs  and  sticks,  and  then  plastered  over  with  mud 
and  whitewashed.  The  better  class  of  farm-houses  are  built  of 
adobes,  or  unburnt  bricks,  and  tiled  over.  The  interior  was  as 
plain  and  cheerless  as  it  well  could  be.  The  floor  was  formed  of 
the  soil,  beaten  down  till  it  was  as  firm  and  hard  as  a  piece  of 
stone.  The  room  set  apart  for  our  sleeping  accommodation 
boasted  as  its  sole  ornaments  a  Dutch  clock  and  a  few  gaudily- 
colored  prints  of  saints  hung  round  the  walls.  The  beds  were 
not  over  comfortable,  but  we  were  too  tired  to  be  nice.  In  the 
morning  I  took  a  survey  of  the  exterior,  and  saw  but  a  few  cattle 
stalled  in  the  sheds  around  the  house.  The  greater  part,  it 
seems,  after  being  branded,  are  suffered  to  run  loose  over  the 


20  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

neighboring  pastures.  There  was  a  well-cultivated  garden  in 
the  rear  of  the  house,  with  abundance  of  fruit  trees  and  vege 
tables. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast,  Malcolm  asked  our  host  several 
questions  about  his  crops,  and  soon  found  that  he  was  no  practi 
cal  agriculturist.  He  had,  however,  at  Bradley's  suggestion,  dis 
carded  the  native  wooden  plough  for  the  more  effective  American 
implement.  He  told  us  that  he  calculated  his  crop  of  wheat  this 
year  would  yield  a  hundred  fanegas  for  every  one  sown  ;  and, 
on  our  expressing  our  surprise  at  such  a  bountiful  return,  said 
that  sixty  or  over  was  the  usual  average.  If  so,  the  soil  must  be 
something  wonderful.  After  expressing  our  thanks,  for  the  hos 
pitality  shown  us,  to  the  wife  of  our  host,  who  was  a  very  pretty 
little  dark-eyed  woman,  with  a  most  winning  way  about  her,  we 
started  off  to  resume  our  journey.  For  my  own  part,  I  felt  very 
loth  to  proceed,  for  I  was  terribly  fatigued  by  my  performance  of 
yesterday,  and  suffered  not  a  little  from  that  disagreeable  malady 
called  "  saddle-sickness."  Our  California!!  accompanied  us  some 
short  distance  on  our  road,  which  lay  for  many  miles  through  a 
wide  valley,  watered  by  a  considerable  stream,  and  overgrown 
with  oaks  and  sycamores.  Low  hills  rose  on  either  hand,  cov 
ered  with  dark  ridges  of  lofty  pine  trees,  by  which  herds  of  elk 
and  deer  were  every  now  and  then  seen  scampering.  We  at 
length  entered  upon  a  narrow  road  through  a  range  of  green 
sheltering  hills,  and,  passing  the  Mission  of  San  Juan,  crossed  a 
wide  plain  and  ascended  the  mountain  ridge  which  lay  between 
us  and  Monterey,  where  we  arrived  late  in  the  day. 

Next  morning  Mr.  Bradley  accompanied  me  to  the  Gorernor's 
house,  where  we  saw  Colonel  Mason,  the  new  Governor  of  the 
State.  He  received  us  with  great  politeness,  but  said  that  the 
Avar,  if  war  it  deserved  to  be  called,  was  now  at  an  end,  that  but 
a  small  number  of  troops  were  stationed  in  the  country,  and  that 
there  was  no  vacancy  for  a  surgeon.  "  Indeed,"  he  said,  "  con 
sidering  that  we  have  given  up  head-breaking,  and  that  the  cli 
mate  is  proverbially  healthy.  California  is  hardly  the  place  for 
doctors  to  settle  in.— Besides,"  said  he, ''  the  Native  Californians 
all  use  the  Temeschal  (a  sort  of  air  bath)  as  a  remedy  for  every 
disorder."  Colonel  Mason  then  asked  Mr.  Bradley  if  he  had  heard 
the  reports  of  gold  having  been  found  on  the  Sacramento,  as  Mr. 
Fulsorn  had  casually  mentioned  in  a  letter  to  him  that  such  ru 
mors  were  prevalent  at  San  Francisco.  Bradley  replied  that  he 
had  heard  something  about  it,  but  believed  there  was  no  truth  in 
the  matter,  although  a  few  fools  had  indeed  rushed  off  to  the  re 
puted  gold  mines'forthwith.  With  this  our  interview  terminated. 

Monterey  seems  to  be  a  rising  town.  The  American  style  of 
nouses  is  superseding  the  old  mud  structures,  and  numbers  of 
new  buildings  are  being  run  up  every  month.  The  hotel  we 
stopped  at  has  only  been  recently  opened  by  an  American.  Mon- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  21 

terey  is  moreover  a  port  of  some  importance,  if  one  may  judge 
from  the  number  of  vessels  lying  at  anchor. 

May  7th. — On  Friday  we  dined  at  the  house  of  Don  Luis  Pa 
lo,  a  Californian  gentleman  of  agreeable  manners,  whose  father 
held  office  here  under  the  Spanish  government  previous  to  the 
Mexican  Revolution.  I  believe  it  is  Don  Luis's  intention  shortly 
to  return  to  Spain.  He  is  unmarried,  and  his  two  sisters  are  the 
handsomest  women  I  have  yet  seen  in  this  country;  their  beauty 
is  quite  of  the  Spanish  style.  A  dinner  in  California  seems  to  be 
always  the  same — first  soup  and  then  beef,  dressed  in  various 
ways,  and  seasoned  with  chillies  ;  fowls,  rice,  and  beans,  with  a 
full  allowance  of  pepper  and  garlic  to  each  dish. 

On  Saturday  we  set  out  on  our  return,  and  after  two  days' 
hard  riding  reached  San  Francisco  to-day  at  4,  P.  M. 


CHAPTER  III. 

May  8th. — Captain  Fulsom  called  at  Sweeting's  to-day.  He 
had  seen  a  man  this  morning  who  reported  that  he  had  just 
come  from  a  river  called  the  American  Fork,  about  one  hundred 
miles  in  the  interior,  where  he  had  been  gold  washing.  Captain 
Fulsom  saw  the  gold  he  had  with  him  ;  it  was  about  twenty- 
three  ounces  weight,  and  in  small  flakes.  The  man  stated  that 
he  was  eight  days  getting  it,  but  Captain  Fulsom  hardly  believed 
this.  He  says  that  he  saw  some  of  this  gold  a  few  weeks  since, 
and  thought  it  was  only  "  mica,"  but  good  judges  have  pro 
nounced  it  to  be  genuine  metal.  He  talks,  however,  of  paying  a 
visit  to  the  place  where  it  is  reported  to  come  from.  After  he  was 
gone  Bradley  stated  that  the  Sacramento  settlements,  which 
Malcolm  wished  to  visit,  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Ame 
rican  Fork,  and  that  we  might  go  there  together :  he  thought  the 
distance  was  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 

May  Wtli. — Yesterday  and  to-day  nothing  has  been  talked  of 
but  the  new  gold  "  placer,"  as  people  call  it.  It  seems  that  four 
other  men  had  accompanied  the  person  Captain  Fulsom  saw  yes 
terday,  and  that  they  had  each  realized  a  large  quantity  of  gold. 
They  left  the  "  diggings"  on  the  American  Fork  (which  it  seems 
is  the  Rio  de  los  Americanos,  a  tributary  to  the  Sacramento) 
about  a  week  ago,  and  stopt  a  day  or  two  at  Sutler's  fort,  a  few 
miles  this  side  of  the  diggings,  on  their  way  :  from  there  they 
had  travelled  by  boat  to  San  Francisco.  The  gold  they  brought 
has  been  examined  by  the  first  Alcalde  here,  and  by  all  the  mer 
chants  in  the  place.  Bradley  showed  us  a  lump  weighing  a 


22  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

quarter  of  an  ounce,  which  he  had  bought  of  one  of  the  men, 
and  for  which  he  gave  him  three  dollars  and  a  half.  I  have  no 
doubt  in  my  own  mind  about  its  being  genuine  gold.  Several 
parties,  we  hear,  are  already  made  up  to  visit  the  diggings  ;  and, 
according  to  the  newspaper  here,  a  number  of  people  have  ac 
tually  started  off  with  shovels,  mattocks,  and  pans  to  djgthe  gold 
themselves.  It  is  not  likely,  however,  that  this  will  be  allowed,  for 
Captain  Fulsom  has  already  written  to  Colonel  Mason  about 
taking  possession  of  the  mine  on  behalf  of  the  government,  it 
being,  as  he  says,  on  public  land. 

May  I3th. — It  is  now  finally  settled  that  we  start  off  on  Wed 
nesday  to  the  Sacramento  Valley.  To-day,  under  Bradley's  di 
rection,  I  have  bought  a  good  horse,  for  which  I  paid  only  fifteen 
dollars.  It  will  be  very  little  more  expense  than  hiring  a  horse 
of  the  hotel-master  here,  besides  being  far  more  agreeable  to  have 
a  horse  of  one's  own  ;  for  every  body,  the  commonest  workman 
even,  rides  in  this  country.  The  gold  excitement  increases  daily, 
as  several  fresh  arrivals  from  the  mines  have  been  reported  at  San 
Francisco.  The  merchants  eagerly  buy  up  the  gold  brought  by 
the  miners,  and  no  doubt,  in  many  cases,  at  prices  considerably 
under  its  value.  I  have  heard,  though,  of  as  much  as  sixteen 
dollars  an  ounce  having  been  given  in  some  instances,  which  I 
should  have  thought  was  over  rather  than  under  the  full  value  of 
gold  in  the  United  States.  I  confess  I  begin  to  feel  seriously  af 
fected  with  the  prevailing  excitement,  and  am  anxious  for  Wed 
nesday  to  arrive. 

May  17th. — This  place  is  now  in  a  perfect  furor  of  excitement ; 
all  the  work-people  have  struck.  Walking  through  the  town  to 
day,  I  observed,  that  laborers  were  employed  only  upon  about 
half-a-dozen  of  the  fifty  new  buildings  which  were  in  the  course 
of  being  run  up.  The  majority  of  the  mechanics  at  this  place 
are  making  preparations  for  moving  off  to  the  mines,  and  several 
hundred  people  of  all  classes— lawyers,  store-keepers,  merchants, 
&c. — are  bitten  with  the  fever ;  in  fact,  there  is  a  regular  gold 
mania  springing  up.  I  counted  no  less  than  eighteen  houses 
which  were  closed,  the  owners  having  left.  If  Colonel  Mason  is 
moving  a  force  to  the  American  Fork,  as  is  reported  here,  their 
journey  will  be  in  vain. 

Our  trip  has  been  delayed  to-day,  for  the  saddler  cannot  get 
our  equipments  in  readiness  for  at  least  forty-eight  hours.  He 
says  that  directly  he  has  finished  the  job  he  shall  start  off  himself 
to  the  diggings.  I  have  bribed  him  with  promises  of  greatly  in 
creased  pay  not  to  disappoint  us  again.  As  it  was,  we  were  to 
pay  him  a  very  high  price,  which  he  demanded  on  account  of 
three  of  his  men  having  left  him,  and  there  being  only  himself 
and  two  workmen  to  attend  to  our  order. 

I  told  Mr.  Bradley  of  our  misfortune.  He  promised  to  wait 
for  us,  but  recommended  me  to  keep  going  in  and  out  of  the  sad- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  23 

dler's  all  day  long  in  order  to  make  sure  that  the  man  was  at 
work,  otherwise  we  might  be  kept  hanging  about  for  a  fortnight. 

May  20th. — It  requires  a  full  amount  of  patience  to  stay  qui 
etly  watching  the  proceedings  of  an  inattentive  tradesman  amid 
such  a  whirlpool  of  excitement  as  is  now  in  action.  Sweeting 
tells  me  that  his  negro  waiter  demanded  and  receives  ten  dollars 
a  day.  He  is  forced  to  submit,  for  "  helps5'  of  all  kinds  are  in 
great  demand,  and  very  difficult  to  meet  with.  Several  hundred 
people  must  have  left  here  during  the  last  few  days.  Malcolm 
and  I  have  our  baggage  all  in  readiness  to  start  on  Monday. 

May  22d. — To-day  all  our  arrangements  have  been  changed  ; 
the  saddler  did  not  keep  his  promise,  and  while  Malcolm,  Brad 
ley,  and  myself  were  venting  our  indignation  against  him,  Don 
Luis  Palo  made  his  appearance.  The  gold  fever  had  spread  to 
Monterey,  and  he  had  determined  to  be  off  to  the  mines  at,  once. 
He  had  brought  his  servant  (a  converted  Indian,  named  Jose) 
with  him,  and  extra  horses  with  his  baggage ;  he  intended  to  set 
to  work  himself  at  the  diggings,  and  meant  to  take  every  thing 
he  required  with  him.  He  says  the  report  about  Colonel  Mason's 
moving  a  force  off  to  the  mines  to  take  possession  of  them  is  all 
nonsense ;  that  some  of  the  garrison  at  Monterey  have  already 
gone  there,  is  quite  true,  but  they  have  deserted  to  dig  gold  on 
their  own  account.  Colonel  Mason,  he  says,  knows  too  well  that 
he  has  no  efficient  force  for  such  a  purpose,  and  that  even  if  he 
had,  he  would  not  be  able  to  keep  his  men  together.  It  appears, 
also,  that  the  mines  occupy  several  miles  of  ground,  the  gold  not 
being  confined  to  any  particular  spot.  On  hearing  this  intelli 
gence  we  at  once  determined  to  follow  Don  Luis's  example,  and 
although  there  appeared  to  be  a  certain  degree  of  absurdity  in 
four  people,  all  holding  some  position  in  society,  going  off  on 
what  might  turn  out  to  be  only  a  fool's  errand,  still  the  evidence 
we  had  before  us,  of  the  goldwhich  had  actually  been  found,  and 
the  example  of  the  multitudes  who  were  daily  hastening  to  the 
diggings,  determined  us  to  go  with  the  rest.  We  therefore  held 
a  council  upon  the  best  method  of  proceeding,  at  which  every  one 
offered  his  suggestions. 

While  we  were  thus  engaged,  M'Phail,  our  fellow-passenger 
from  Oregon,  made  his  appearance,  having  only  just  then  return 
ed  from  Sonoma.  He  had  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  new  gold 
placer,  and  he  had  merely  come  back  for  his  baggage,  intending 
to  start  off  for  the  mines  forthwith.  The  result  of  our  delibera 
tions  was  to  this  effect.  Each  man  was  to  furnish  himself  with 
one  good  horse  for  his  own  use,  and  a  second  horse  to  carry  his 
personal  baggage  as  well  as  a  portion  of  the  general  outfit ;  we 
were  each  to  take  a  rifle,  holster  pistols,  &c.  It  was  agreed, 
moreover,  that  a  tent  should  be  bought  immediately,  if  such  a 
thing  could  be  procured,  as  well  as  some  spades,  and  mattocks, 
and  a  good  stout  axe,  together  with  a  collection  of  blankets  and 


24  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

hides,  and  a  supply  of  coffee,  sugar,  whisky,  and  brandy ;  knives, 
forks,  and  plates,  with  pots  and  kettles,  and  all  the  requisite  cook 
ing  utensils  for  a  camp  life.  The  tent  is  the  great  difficulty, 
and  fears  are  entertained  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  procure 
one ;  but  Bradley  thinks  he  might  buy  one  out  of  the  government 
stores. 

I  followed  the  saddler  well  up  during  the  day,  and  was  for 
tunate  enough  to  obtain  our  saddles,  saddle-bags,  &c.  by  four 
o'clock.  On  going  to  his  house  a  couple  of  hours  after  about 
some  trifling  alteration  I  wished  made,  I  found  it  shut  up,  and 
deserted.  On  the  door  was  pasted  a  paper  with  the  following 
words,  "  Gone  to  the  diggings." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SONOMA. 

May  2Ath. — This  morning  at  last  saw  us  off.  We  left  San  Fran 
cisco  shortly  after  seven,  and  embarked  with  our  horses  and  bag 
gage  in  a  launch,  which  landed  us  at  Sausalitto  before  ten.  Prom 
thence  we  made  our  way  to  Sonoma,  where  we  put  up  for  the 
night.  We  formed  quite  a  cavalcade,  and  presented  a  tolerably 
imposing  appearance.  First  came  the  horses  (six  in  number), 
which  carried  our  baggage,  camp  equipments,  &c.  After  these 
came  Jose,  Don  Luis's  Indian  servant  (who  seems  to  be  a  far  more 
lively  fellow  than  Indians  are  generally),  having  these  extra  hor 
ses  in  his  charge ;  and  he  really  managed  them  admirably.  For 
what  with  whistling,  and  coaxing,  and  swearing,  and  swinging 
his  "  riatta "  over  their  heads,  he  had  them  as  much  under  his 
command,  as  ever  a  crack  dragsman  had  his  four-in-hand  in  the 
good  old  coaching  times  of  my  own  dear  England.  We  followed 
after,  riding,  when  the  road  would  admit  of  it,  all  abreast,  and  pre 
senting  a  bold  front  to  any  gang  of  desperadoes  who  might  be 
daring  enough  to  attack  us.  There  was  little  fear  of  this,  how 
ever,  for  we  hardly  rode  a  mile  without  falling  in  with  scattered 
parties  bound  to  the  gold  mines. 

We  made  our  way  but  slowly  during  the  first  portion  of  our 
ride,  for  the  road  wound  up  steep  hills  and  down  into  deep  hol 
lows,  but  when  at  last  we  came  upon  a  winding  valley  some 
miles  in  extent,  our  horses  got  over  the  ground  in  a  style  which 
only  Californian  steeds  could  achieve  after  the  hard  work  which 
had  already  been  performed.  Towards  evening,  we  crossed  the 
hills  which  divided  the  valley  from  Sonoma  plain,  and  on  reach 
ing  Sonoma  put  up  at  a  hotel  recently  opened  here  by  a  citizen 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  £5 

from  the  United  States,  who  coolly  told  us,  in  the  course  of  con 
versation,  that  he  guessed  he  didn't  intend  shearing  off  to  the 
gold  mines,  until  he  had  drawn  a  few  thousand  dollars  from  the 
San  Francisco  folk  who  pass  through  here  to  and  from  the  dig 
gings. 

May  27th. — We  stopped  at  Sonoma  the  greater  part  of  Thurs 
day,  to  give  our  horses  rest.  At  the  hotel,  I  met  Lieutenant  Sher 
man,  who  had  brought  dispatches  to  the  officer  in  command  here 
from  Colonel  Mason.  I  was  much  delighted  in  again  meeting 
this  gentleman,  and  we  had  a  long  talk  together  over  the  merry 
times  we  had  when  we  were  both  staying  at  Washington.  When 
he  heard  our  destination  he  kindly  offered  to  give  me  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  a  very  old  friend  of  his,  Captain  Sutter,  the  propri 
etor  of  Suiter's  fort,  and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Sacra 
mento.  I  availed  myself  of  his  offer,  and  about  three  o'clock  we 
started  off  across  the  plain,  and  made  our  way  through  the  groves 
of  fine  oak  trees  which  cover  it  in  every  direction.  We  next  as 
cended  the  hills  which  lay  between  us  and  Napper  Valley,  and  ' 
after  crossing  them,  made  for  the  house  of  an  American  settler,  a 
friend  of  Bradley's,  who  provided  us  with  the'  best  accommoda 
tion  his  house  would  furnish  for  the  night.  We  turned  in  early, 
but  the  legions  of  fleas  which  were  our  bedfellows  exerted  them 
selves  to  such  a  degree,  that  for  hours  sleep  was  out  of  the  ques 
tion.  The  country  is  terribly  plagued  with  these  vermin.  I  do 
not  know  how  the  settlers  get  on  ;  perhaps  they  are  accustomed 
to  the  infliction,  but  a  stranger  feels  it  severely. 

The  next  day  we  travelled  over  the  corresponding  range  of 
hills  to  those  crossed  on  Thursday,  and  were  soon  in  the  midst  of 
a  much  wilder-looking  country — a  rapid  succession  of  steep  and 
rugged  mountains,  thickly  timbered  with  tall  pine  trees  and  split 
up  with  deep  precipitous  ravines,  hemming  in  beautiful  and  fer 
tile  valleys,  brilliant  with  golden  flowers  and  dotted  over  with  no 
ble  oaks.  While  we  were  riding  down  one  of  these  dangerous 
chasms,  Bradley,  who  was  showing  off  his  superior  equitation, 
was  thrown  from  his  horse,  and  fell  rather  severely  on  his  arm. 
On  examining  it,  I  was  surprised  to  find  he  had  escaped  a  frac 
ture.  As  it  is,  he  has  injured  it  sufficiently  to  prevent  him  from 
using  it  for  several  days.  I  bandaged  it  up,  put  it  in  a  sling,  and 
he  proceeded  in  a  more  cautious  manner. 

To-night  we  used  our  tent  for  the  first  time.  We  were  some 
what  awkward  in  pitching  it,  and  three  times  did  the  whole 
structure  come  down  by  the  run,  burying  several  of  us  in  the  flap 
ping  canvas,  and  inflicting  some  tolerably  hard  knocks  with  the 
poles.  However,  at  length  we  succeeded  in  getting  it  fixed ;  and, 
kindling  a  blazing  fire  close  to  it,  as  a  polite  intimation  to  the 
bears  that  they  were  not  wanted,  cooked  our  supper  over  the  em 
bers,  and  then,  wrapped  in  our  blankets,  slept  far  better  than  the 
fleas  had  allowed  us  to  do  the  night  before. 


26  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

This  morning  I  examined  Bradiey's  arm,  and  was  glad  to 
find  the  inflammation  somewhat  reduced.  He  was  bruised  a 
good  deal  about  the  body  generally,  and  complained  to-day  sorely 
of  the  pain  he  felt  while  being  jolted  over  the  broken  ground 
which  we  crossed  in  our  ascent  of  the  tall  mountains  that  bound 
the  Sacramento  Valley.  From  their  summit  we  obtained  a  no 
ble  view  of  the  broad  winding  river  and  its  smaller  tributaries, 
thickly  studded  with  islands  overgrown  with  noble  oaks  and  sy 
camores.  We  encamped  to  night  at  the  foot  of  these  hills,  near 
a  little  stream  which  gurgled  merrily  by.  We  have  seen  several 
herds  of  elk  to-day,  and  a  large  quantity  of  wild  fowl. 

Sunday,  May  28th. — To-day  we  made  a  long  halt,  for  we 
were  all  exceedingly  tired,  and  some  of  our  pack-horses,  which 
were  heavily  laden,  showed  symptoms  of  "  giving  out."  We 
determined,  therefore,  to  stay  here  till  late  in  the  day,  and  then 
to  follow  the  course  of  the  creek  for  a  few  miles,  and  there  pitch 
our  tent.  Burning  our  horses  loose  to  graze,  several  of  the  party 
went  off  on  a  hunting  excursion  on  foot,  but  their  only  success 
was  about  a  score  of  wild  geese,  which  are  very  plentiful  in  the 
marshy  land  bordering  the  creek.  I  got  a  shot  at  an  elk  which 
came  down  to  the  water  to  drink,  but  it  made  off  unhurt. 


CHAPTER  V. 

May  29th. — Last  night  we  encamped  under  a  group  of  oaks,  and 
we  "  knew  by  the  smoke  that  so  gracefully  curled"  over  other 
parts  of  the  valley,  that  there  were  several  other  camps  pitched 
at  no  great  distance. ,  When  we  started  in  the  morning  we  fell 
in  with  a  few  parties  moving  towards  the  Sacramento.  A  ride 
of  a  few  hours  brought  us  to  the  borders  of  that  noble  rirer, 
which  was  here  about  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  wide,  and  we 
immediately  made  preparations  for  crossing  it.  After  several 
mishaps  and  delays,  we  at  length  succeeded  in  getting  over  in  a 
launch.  The  new  town  of  Suttersville,  numbering  some  ten  or 
twelve  houses,  is  laid  out  within  half  a  mile  of  the  banks  of  the 
river.  From  here  a  brisk  ride  over  a  level  plain — parcelled  out 
into  fields  of  wheat  and  pasture-grounds,  dotted  with  hundreds 
upon  hundreds  of  grazing  cattle,  and  here  and  there  a  loitering 
team— brought  us  to  Sutler's  Fort,  an  extensive  block  of  buildings 
planted  on  the  top  of  a  small  hill  which  skirts  a  creek  running 
into  the  Americanos,  near  its  junction  with  the  Rio  Sacramento. 
A  schooner  and  some  small  craft  were  beating  up  the  Americanos 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  37 

River  towards  the  Fort,  and  alongside  the  landing-place  several 
launches  were  lying  unshipping  cargoes.  As  we  made  the  spot, 
we  soon  saw  that  here  all  was  bustle  and  activity.  Boatmen 
were  shouting  and  swearing  ;  wagoners  were  whistling  and  hal 
looing  and  cracking  their  whips  at  their  straining  horses,  as 
these  toiled  along  with  heavily-laden  wagons  to  the  different 
stores  within  the  building;  groups  of  horsemen  were  riding  to 
and  fro,  and  crowds  of  people  were  moving  about  on  foot.  It 
was  evident  that  the  gold  mania  increased  in  force  as  we  ap 
proached  the  now  eagerly  longed-for  El  Dorado. 

On  inquiring  of  a  squaw  we  met  at  the  entrance  of  the  Fort, 
and  who  knew  just  sufficient  English  to  understand  our  ques 
tion,  she  pointed  out  to  us  as  Captain  Sutter  a  very  tall  good- 
looking  sort  of  personage,  wearing  a  straw  hat  and  loose  coat 
and  trowsers  of  striped  duck,  but  with  features  as  unlike  those  of 
a  Yankee  as  can  well  be  imagined.  I  at  once  introduced  my 
self,  and  handed  him  the  letter  which  Lieutenant  Sherman  had 
given  me.  After  reading  it,  the  Captain  informed  me  that  he 
was  happy  enough  to  see  me,  although  he  feared,  from  the  great 
change  which  a  few  weeks  had  made  in  this  part  of.  the  world, 
that  he  could  offer  me  but  indifferent  hospitality.  Every  store  and 
shed  was  being  crammed  with  bales  of  goods,  barrels  of  flour, 
and  a  thousand  other  things  for  which  a  demand  had  suddenly 
sprung  up.  The  Captain's  own  house  was  indeed  just  like  a 
hotel  crowded  with  many  more  visitors  than  it  could  accommo 
date  ;  still  no  one  who  came  there,  so  the  Captain  was  good 
enough  to  say,  recommended  by  his  friend  Sherman,  should 
have  other  than  a  hospitable  reception.  All  that  he  could  do, 
however,  he  said,  would  be  to  place  one  sleeping-room  at  my 
service  for  myself  and  such  of  my  friends  as  I  liked  to  share  it 
with  ;  and,  leaving  me  to  arrange  the  matter  with  them,  he  went 
away,  promising  to  return  and  show  us  our  quarters. 

I  told  my  companions  of  the  Captain's  offer,  but  they  were 
satisfied  to  rough  it  out  of  doors  again  to-night,  and  it  was  ar 
ranged  that  only  Bradley  and  myself  should  accept  the  sleeping 
accommodation  offered  by  Captain  Sutter,  as  a  good  night's  rest 
in  comfortable  quarters  would  be  more  beneficial  to  our  friend 
with  the  injured  limb,  than  an  out-door  nap  with  a  single  blanket 
for  a  bed  and  a  saddle  for  a  pillow. 

Two  of  our  horses  having  cast  their  shoes,  Malcolm  and  Jose" 
walked  them  round  to  the  blacksmith's  shop,  where,  after  their 
losses  were  repaired,  a  stock  of  shoes,  nails,  &c.,  were  to  be 
laid  in  for  future  contingencies  M'Phail  and  our  Spanish  friend 
undertook  at  the  same  time  to  purchase  a  ten  days'  supply  of  pro 
visions  for  us,  and  Bradley  agreed  to  look  about  the  Fort  and  see  if 
he  could  meet  with  another  servant,  In  this  errand,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  he  was  not  successful. 


28  POUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

While  these  several  commissions  were  executing,  the  Captain 
returned  and  walked  with  me  through  the  Fort.  On  our  way 
he  pointed  out  the  guard-house,  the  Indian  soldiers  attached  to 
which  had  deserted  to  the  mines  almost  to  a  man  ;  the  woollen 
factory,  with  some  thirty  women  still  at  work;  the  distillery 
house,  where  the  famous  pisco  is  made;  and  the  blacksmith's 
and  wheelwright's  shops,  with  more  work  before  them  than  the 
few  mechanics  left  will  be  able  to  get  through  in  a  month.  Yet 
all  these  men  talked  of  starting  off  to  the  diggings  in  a  day  or 
two.  The  Captain  told  me  he  had  only  been  able  to  keep  them 
by  greatly  increased  pay,  and  an  almost  unlimited  allowance  of 
pisco  and  whisky. 

It  was  not  easy  to  pick  our  way  through  the  crowds  of  strange 
people  who  were  moving  backwards  and  forwards  in  every  di 
rection.  Carts  were  passing  to  and  fro  ;  groups  of  Indians  squat 
ting  on  their  haunches  were  chattering  together,  and  displaying 
their  flaring  red  and  yellow  handkerchiefs,  the  scarlet  blankets, 
and  muskets  of  the  most  worthless  Brummagem  make,  for  which 
they  had  been  exchanging  their  bits  of  gold,  while  their  squaws 
looked  on  with  the  most  perfect  indifference.  I  saw  one  chief, 
who  had  gone  for  thirty  years  with  no  other  covering  than  a 
rag  to  hide  his  nakedness,  endeavoring  to  thrust  his  legs  into 
a  pair  of  sailors'  canvas  trowsers  with  very  indifferent  success. 

Inside  the  stores  the  bustle  and  noise  were  even  greater. 
Some  half-a-dozen  sharp-visaged  Yankees,  in  straw  hats  and 
loose  frocks,  were  driving  hard  bargains  for  dollars  with  the 
crowds  of  customers  who  were  continually  pouring  in  to  barter 
a  portion  of  their  stock  of  gold  for  coffee  and  tobacco,  breadstuff, 
brandy,  and  bowie  knives ;  of  spades  and  mattocks  there  were 
none  to  be  had.  In  one  corner,  at  a  railed-off  desk,  a  quick-eyed 
old  man  was  busily  engaged,  with  weights  and  scales,  setting 
his  own  value  on  the  lumps  of  golden  ore  or  the  bags  of  dust 
which  were  being  handed  to  him,  and  in  exchange  for  which  he 
told  out  the  estimated  quantity  of  dollars.  These  dollars  quickly 
returned  to  the  original  deposit,  in  payment  for  goods  bought  at 
the  other  end  of  the  store. 

Among  the  clouds  of  smoke  puffed  forth  by  some  score  of  pipes 
and  as  many  cigarettos,  there  were  to  be  seen,  mingled  together, 
Indians  of  various  degrees  of  civilization,  and  corresponding 
styles  of  dress,  varying  from  the  solitary  cloth  kilt  to  the  cotton 
shirts  and  jackets  and  trowsers  of  Russian  duck ;  with  groups  of 
trappers  from  as  far  up  as  Oregon,  clad  in  coats  of  buffalo  hide,  and 
with  faces  and  hands  so  brown  and  wrinkled  that  one  would  take 
their  skins  to  be  as  tough  as  the  buffalo's,  and  almost  as  indiffe 
rent  to  a  lump  of  lead.  "  Captain,"  said  one  of  these  gentry, 
shaking  a  bag  of  gold  as  we  passed,  "  I  guess  this  beats  beaver 
skins — eh,  captain."  Another  of  them,  who  had  a  savage-look 
ing  wolf-dog  with  him,  was  holding  a  palavar  with  an  Indian 


GOLD-FINDERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  29 

from  the  borders  of  the  Klamath  Lake ;  and  the  most  friendly 
understanding  seemed  to  exist  between  them.  "  You  see  those 
two  scoundrels?"  said  the  Captain  to  me.  "  They  look  and  talk 
for  all  the  world  like  brothers,  but  only  let  either  of  them  get  the 
chance  of  a  shot  at  the  other  after  scenting  his  trail,  may  be  for 
days,  across  those  broad  hunting  grounds,  where  every  man  they 
meet  they  look  upon  as  a  foe,  and  the  one  that  has  the  quickest 
eye  and  the  readiest  hand  will  alone  live  to  see  the  sun  rise  next 
d'ay." 

Threading  his  way  amongst  the  crowd,  I  was  somewhat 
struck  by  the  appearance  of  a  Spanish  Don  of  the  old  school, 
looking  as  magnificent  as  a  very  gaudy  light  blue  jacket  with 
silver  buttons  and  scarlet  trimmings,  and  breeches  of  crimson 
velvet,  and  striped  silk  sash,  and  embroidered  deer-skin  shoes, 
and  a  perfumed  cigaretto  could  make  him.  He  wore  his  slouched 
sombrero  jauntily  placed  on  one  side,  and  beneath  it,  of  course,  the 
everlasting  black  silk  handkerchief,  with  the  corners  dangling 
over  his  neck  behind.  Following  him  was  his  servant,  in 
slouched  hat  and  spangled  garters,  carrying  an  old  Spanish  mus 
ket  over  his  shoulder,  and  casting  somewhat  timid  looks  at  the 
motley  assemblage  of  Indians  and  trappers,  who  every  now  and 
then  jostled  against  him.  Beyond  these,  there  were  a  score  or 
two  of  go-a-head  Yankees — "  gentlemen  traders,"  I  suppose  they 
called  themselves — with  a  few  pretty  California!!  women,  who 
are  on  their  way  with  their  husbands  to  the  mines.  I  noticed 
that  the  Captain  had  a  word  for  almost  every  one,  and  that  he 
seemed  to  be  held  in  very  great  respect. 

Bradley  informed  me  to-night  of  the  origin  of  a  scar  which  is 
just  distinguishable  in  Captain  Suiter's  face.  It  seems  that  the 
Captain,  who  is  a  Swiss,  was  one  of  Charles  the  Tenth's  guards 
in  1830,  and  that  a  slight  cut  from  the  sabre  of  one  of  the  youths 
of  the  Polytechnic  School  had  left  in  his  visage  a  standing  me 
morial  of  the  three  glorious  days.  Indeed  the  Captain  seems 
generally  to  have  taken  the  side  of  the  constituted  authorities,  as 
in  the  revolution  of  1845  he  turned  out  with  all  his  people  for  the 
Mexican  government.  However,  he  was  more  fortunate  in  Cali 
fornia  than  in  Paris,  as  he  didn't  even  get  his  skin  scratched  on 
this  occasion. 


30  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

May  30th. — To  my  great  disappointment,  our  journey  was  not  re 
sumed  to-day.  As  I  had  expected,  Malcolm  had  found  there  was  no 
chance  of  getting  the  farrier's  assistance  yesterday,  and  he  came 
to  me  in  the  evening  to  inform  me  that  he  and  the  rest  were  going 
into  camp  for  the  night.  Bradley  and  myself  found  an  ample 
supper  prepared  for  us  ;  and  after  doing  due  justice  to  the  eat 
ables,  and  dressing  Bradley's  arm,  I  shortened  the  night  a  couple 
of  hours  by  jotting  down  the  events  of  the  day. 

This  morning  I  rose  early,  and  walked  to  the  camp,  which  I 
found,  about  half  a  mile  off,  under  some  oaks  in  a  piece  of  pas 
ture  land  on  the  Captain's  farm.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  finding 
it  out,  for  there  were  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  tents  of  one  kind 
or  another  in  the  "  bottom."  The  party  were  all  roused,  and 
breakfast  was  preparing  under  Don  Luis's  superintendence.  It 
was  the  general  opinion  that  we  must  buy  two  extra  horses  to 
carry  our  breadstuff's,  &c.  Malcolm  reported  that  there  were  a  vari 
ety  of  articles  we  were  still  in  want  of;  namely,  tin  drinking  cups, 
some  buckets  for  water,  with  forks  and  other  small  articles.  He 
recommended  that  a  couple  more  axes  and  a  strong  saw  be  bought 
at  Brannan's,  together  with  hammers,  nails,  &c ,  and  some  of 
the  Indian  baskets  which  seem  to  be  so  common  about  here. 

On  my  return  to  the  Fort,  I  fell  in  with  the  Captain,  rigged 
out  in  a  military  undress  uniform.  I  chatted  with  him  for  half  an 
hour  about  his  farm,  &c.  He  told  me  he  was  the  first  white  man 
who  settled  in  this  part  of  the  country ;  that  some  ten  years  ago, 
when  the  Mexican  government  was  full  of  colonization  schemes, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  break  up  the  Missions,  and  to  introduce 
a  population  antagonistic  to  the  Californians,  he  received  a  grant 
of  land,  sixty  miles  one  way  and  twelve  another,  about  sixteen  or 
seventeen  hundred  acres  of  which  he  had  now  brought  under 
cultivation.  "  When  I  came  here,"  said  the  Captain,  "  I  knew 
the  country  and  the  Indians  well.  Eight  years  ago  these  fields 
were  overgrown  with  long  rank  grass,  with  here  and  there  an  oak 
or  pine  sprouting  out  from  the  midst.  You  can  see  what  they  are 
now.  As  to  the  Indians,  they  gave  me  a  little  more  trouble.  I 
can  boast  of  fourteen  pieces  of  cannon,  though  one  has  little  oc 
casion  for  them  now,  except  to  fire  a  few  salutes  on  days  of  re 
joicing.  Well !  most  of  these  guns  came  from  Ross  within  this  last 
four  years ;  but  when  I.  first  arrived  here,  I  brought  with  me  a  cou 
ple  of  howitzers,  from  which  one  night,  when  these  thieves  were 
hemming  me  in  on  all  sides,  I  discharged  a  shell  right  over  their 
heads.  The  mere  sight  of  it,  when  it  bursted,  was  sufficient  to 
give  them  a  very  respectful  notion  of  the  fighting  means  at  my 
command.  But  though  this  saved  me  from  any  direct  attack',  it 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  3j 

did  not  secure  me  against  having  my  horses  and  cattle  stolen  on 
every  convenient  occasion."  The  Captain  went  on  to  say,  that  he  at 
last  brought  the  Indians  pretty  well  under  his  control ;  and  that, 
by  promises  of  articles  of  clothing,  they  became  willing  to  work 
for  him.  He  took  good  care  to  trust  very  few  of  them  with  rifles 
or  powder  and  shot.  Nearly  every  brick  in  the  buildings  of  the 
Fort,  he  tells  me,  was  made  by  the  Indians,  who,  moreover,  dug 
all  the  ditches  dividing  his  wheat  fields.  These  ditches  are  very 
necessary,  to  prevent  the  very  large  number  of  cattle  and  horses 
on  the  farm  from  straying  among  the  crops. 

On  our  way  to  the  house,  I  got  the  Captain  to  speak  to  the 
head  blacksmith  about  our  horses,  after  which  we  went  into 
breakfast,  when  I  saw  his  wife  and  daughter  for  the  first  time. 
They  were  both  very  ladylike  women,  and  both  natives  of 
France.  During  the  meal,  I  found  Captain  Sutter  communica 
tive  on  the  subject  of  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines,  which  I 
was  glad  of,  as  I  was  anxious  to  learn  the  true  particulars  of  the 
affair,  respecting  which  so  many  ridiculous  stories  had  been  cir 
culated.  One  was  to  the  effect,  that  the  mines  had  been  dis 
covered  by  the  Mormons,  in  accordance  with  a  prophecy  made 
by  the  famous  Joe  Smith.  Another  tale  was,  that  the  Captain 
had  seen  the  apparition  of  an  Indian  chief,  to  whom  he  had 
given  a  rifle  (the  possession  of  which  he  only  lived  three  months 
to  enjoy,  having  been  trampled  down  by  a  buffalo  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  on  his  way  with  his  tribe  to 
make  an  attack  on  the  Pawnees),  when  the  ghost  in  question 
told  the  Captain  that  he  would  make  him  very  rich,  and  begged 
that,  with  this  promised  cash,  the  Captain  would  immediately 
buy  a  ship-load  of  rifles,  and  present  one  to  every  member  of  his 
tribe.  Such  were  the  absurd  stories  circulated.  The  true  ac 
count  of  the  discovery  I  here  give,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  in 
he  Captain's  own  words. 


CHAPTER  TIL 

"I  WAS  sitting  one  afternoon,"  said  the  Captain,  "just  after 
my  siesta,  engaged,  by-the-by,  in  writing  a  letter  to  a  relation  of 
mine  at  Lucerne,  when  I  was  interrupted  by  Mr.  Marshall — a 
gentleman  with  whom  I  had  frequent  business  transactions — 
bursting  hurriedly  into  the  room.  From  the  unusual  agitation  in 
his  manner  I  imagined  that  something  serious  had  occurred,  and, 
as  we  involuntarily  do  in  this  part  of  the  world,  I  at  once  glanced 


3-2  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

to  see  if  my  rifle  was  in  its  proper  place.  You  should  know  that 
the  mere  appearance  of  Mr.  Marshall  at  that  moment  in  the  Fort 
was  quite  enough  to  surprise  me,  as  he  had  but  two  days  before 
left  the  place  to  make  some  alterations  in  a  mill  for  sawing  pine 
planks,  which  he  had  just  run  up  for  me,  some  miles  higher  up 
the  Americanos.  When  he  had  recovered  himself  a  little,  he  told 
me  that,  however  great  my  surprise  might  be  at  his  unexpected 
reappearance,  it  would  be  much  greater  when  I  heard  the  intelli 
gence  he  had  come  to  bring  me.  '  Intelligence,'  he  added,  '  which, 
if  properly  profited  by,  would  put  both  of  us  in  possession  of  un 
heard-of  wealth — millions  and  millions  of  dollars,  in  fact.'  I 
frankly  own,  when  I  heard  this,  that  I  thought  something  had 
touched  Marshall's  brain,  when  suddenly  all  my  misgivings  were 
put  an  end  to  by  his  flinging  on  the  table  a  handful  of  scales  of 
pure  virgin  gold.  I  was  fairly  thunderstruck,  and  asked  him  to 
explain  what  all  this  meant,  when  he  went  on  to  say,  that,  ac 
cording  to  my  instructions,  he  had  thrown  the  mill-wheel  out  of 
gear,  to  let  the  whole  body  of  the  water  in  the  dam  find  a  pas 
sage  through  the  tail-race,  which  was  previously  too  narrow  to 
allow  the  water  to  run  off  in  sufficient  quantity,  whereby  the 
wheel  was  prevented  from  efficiently  performing  its  work.  By 
this  alteration  the  narrow  channel  was  considerably  enlarged, 
and  a  mass  of  sand  and  gravel  carried  off  by  the  force  of  the  tor 
rent.  Early  in  the  morning  after  this  took  place,  he  (Mr.  Mar 
shall)  was  walking  along  the  left  bank  of  the  stream,  when  he 
perceived  something  which  he  at  first  took  for  a  piece  of  opal — a 
clear  transparent  stone,  very  common  here — glittering  on  one  of 
the  spots  laid  bare  by  the  sudden  crumbling  away  of  the  bank. 
He  paid  no  attention  to  this  ;"but  "while  he  was  giving  directions 
to  the  workmen,  having  observed  several  similar  glittering  frag 
ments,  his  curiosity  was  so  far  excited,  thathe  stooped  down  and 
picked  one  of  them  up.  '  Do  you  know,'  said  Mr.  Marshall  to 
me,  '  1  positively  debated  within  myself  two  or  three  times  whe 
ther  1  should  take  the  trouble  to  bend  my  back  to  pick  up  one  of 
the  pieces,  and1  had  decided  on  not  doing  so,  when,  further  on, 
another  glittering  morsel  caught  my  eye — the  largest  of  the  pie 
ces  now  before  you.  I  condescended  to  pick  it  up,  and  to  my  as 
tonishment  found  that  it  was  a  thin  scale  of  what  appears  to  be 
pure  gold.'  He  then  gathered  some  twenty  or  thirty  similar  pieces, 
which  on  examination  convinced  him  that  his  suppositions  were 
right.  His  first  impression  was,  that  this  gold  had  been  lost  or 
buried  there  by  some  early  Indian  tribe — perhaps  some  of  those 
mysterious  inhabitants  of  the  West,  of  whom  we  have  no  account, 
but  who  dwelt  on  this  continent  centuries  ago,  and  built  those  ci 
ties  and  temples,  the  ruins  of  which  are  scattered  about  these  so 
litary  wilds.  On  proceeding,  however,  to  examine  the  neigh 
boring  soil,  he  discovered  that  it  was  more  or  less  auriferous 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  33 

This  at  once  decided  him.     He  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  down 
to  me  as  fast  as  it  would  carry  him  with  the  news. 

"At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Marshall's  account,"  continued 
Captain  Sutter,  "  and  when  I  had  convinced  myself,  from  the 
specimens  he  had  brought  with  him,  that  it  was  not  exaggerated, 
I  felt  as  much  excited  as  himself.  I  eagerly  inquired  if  he  had 
shown  the  gold  to  the  work-people  at  the  mill,  and  was  glad  to 
hear  that  he  had  not  spoken  to  a  single  person  about  it.  We 
agreed,"  said  the  Captain,  smiling,  "  not  to  mention  the  circum 
stance  to  any  one,  and  arranged  to  set  off  early  the  next  day  for 
the  mill.  On  our  arrival,  just  before  sundown,  we  poked  the 
sand  about  in  various  places,  and  before  long  succeeded  in  col 
lecting  between  us  more  than  an  ounce  of  gold,  mixed  up  with 
a  good  deal  of  sand.  I  stayed  at  Mr.  Marshall's  that  night,  and 
the  next  day  we  proceeded  some  little  distance  up  the  South 
Fork,  and  found  that  gold  existed  along  the  whole  course,  not 
only  in  the  bed  of  the  main  stream,  where  the  water  had  sub 
sided,  but  in  every  little  dried-up  creek  and  ravine.  Indeed  I 
think  it  is  more  plentiful  in  these  latter  places,  for  I  myself,  with 
nothing  more  than  a  small  knife,  picked  out  from  a  dry  gorge,  a 
little  way  up  the  mountain,  a  solid  lump  of  gold  which  weighed 
nearly  an  ounce  and  a  half. 

<;  On  our  return  to  the  mill,  we  were  astonished  by  the  work 
people  coming  up  to  us  in  a  body,  and  showing  us  small  flakes 
of  gold  similar  to  those  we  had  ourselves  procured.  Marshall 
tried  to  laugh  the  matter  off  with  them,  and  to  persuade  them 
that  what  they  had  found  was  only  some  shining  mineral  of  tri 
fling  value  ;  but  one  of  the  Indians,  who  had  worked  at  the  gold 
mine  in  the  neighborhood  of  La  Faz,  in  Lower  California,  cried 
out,  '  Oro-!  oro!'  We  were  disappointed  enough  at  this  discoveiy, 
and  supposed  that  the  work-people  had  been  watching  our  move 
ments,  although  we  thought  we  had  taken  every  precaution  against 
being  observed  by  them.  I  heard,  afterwards,  that  one  of  them,  a 
sly  Kentuckian,  had  dogged  us  about,  and  that,  looking  on  the 
ground  to  see  if  he  could  discover  what  we  were  in  search  of, 
he  had  lighted  on  some  flakes  of  gold  himself. 

';  The  next  day  I  rode  back  to  the  Fort,  organized  a  laboring 
party,  set  the  carpenters  to  work  on  a  few  necessary  matters, 
and  the  next  day  accompanied  them  to  a  point  of  the  Fork, 
where  they  encamped  for  the  night.  By  the  following  morning 
I  had  a  party  of  fifty  Indians  fairly  at  work.  The  way  we  first 
managed  was  to  shovel  the  soil  into  small  buckets,  or  into  some 
of  our  famous  Indian  baskets ;  then  wash  all  the  light-earth  out, 
and  pick  away  the  stones  ;  after  this,  we  dried  the  sand  on  pieces 
of  canvas,  and  with  long  reeds  blew  away  all  but  the  gold.  I 
have  now  some  rude  machines  in  use,  and  upwards  of  one  hun 
dred  men  employed,  chiefly  Indians,  who  are  well  fed,  and  who 
are  allowed  whisky  three  times  a-day. 


34  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

"  The  report  soon  spread.  Some  of  the  gold  was  sent  to  San 
Francisco,  and  crowds  of  people  flocked  to  the  diggings.  Added 
to  this,  a  large  emigrant  party  of  Mormons  entered  California 
across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  just  as  the  affair  was  first  made 
known.  They  halted  at  once,  and  set  to  work  on  a  spot  some 
thirty  miles  from  here,  where  a  few  of  them  still  remain.  When 
I  was  last  up  to  the  diggings,  there  were  full  eight  hundred  men 
at  work,  at  one  place  and  another,  with  perhaps  something  like 
three  hundred  more  passing  backwards  and  forwards  between 
here  and  the  mines.  I  at  first  imagined  the  gold  would  soon  be 
exhausted  by  such  crowds  of  seekers,  but  subsequent  observa 
tions  have  convinced  me  that  it  will  take  many  years  to  bring 
about  such  a  result,  even  with  ten  times  the  present  number  of 
people  employed. 

"  What  surprises  me,"  continued  the  Captain,  "  is,  that  this 
country  should  have  been  visited  by  so  many  scientific  men,  and 
that  not  one  of  them  should  have  ever  stumbled  upon  the  treasures ; 
that  scores  of  keen-eyed  trappers  should  have  crossed  this  valley 
in  every  direction,  and  tribes  of  Indians  have  dwelt  in  it  for  cen 
turies,  and  yet  that  this  gold  should  have  never  been  discovered. 
I  myself  have  passed  the  very  spot  above  a  hundred  times  du 
ring  the  last  ten  years,  but  was  just  as  blind  as  the  rest  of  them, 
so  I  must  not  wonder  at  the  discovery  not  having  been  made 
earlier." 

While  the  Captain  was  proceeding  with  his  narrative,  I  must 
confess  that  I  felt  so  excited  on  the  subject  as  to  wish  to  start  off 
immediately  on  our  journey.  When  he  had  finished,  I  walked 
off  to  see  after  the  horses,  but,  although  they  were  ready,  the 
additional  shoes  we  wanted  to  carry  with  us,  would  not  be  fur 
nished  for  several  hours :  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  we 
got  them.  We  bought  two  horses  of  Captain  Slitter  (very  strong 
animals),  and  M'Phail  managed  to  engage  a  big  lad  as  a  servant — 
a  rough-looking  fellow,  who  appears  to  have  deserted  from  some 
ship,  and  worked  his  way  up  here.  All  things  considered,  it  was 
agreed  that  we  should  remain  here  all  night,  and  resume  our 
march  as  early  as  we  could  in  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Sunday,  June  4th. — The  morning  we  left  the  Fort  the  scene  was 
one  of  great  excitement  Down  in  the  bottom  some  twenty  tents 
were  pitched,  outside  which  big  fires  were  smoking  ;  and,  while 
breakfast  was  being  prepared,  the  men  of  each  company  were 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  35 

busily  engaged  in  saddling  their  horses  and  arranging  their  bag 
gage  ;  several  wagons  and  teams  were  already  in  motion,  follow 
ing  the  road  along  the  windings  of  the  river.  Tkhe  tents  were 
soon  all  struck,  the  srnoke  from  the  fires  was  dying  away,  and  a 
perfect  caravan  was  moving  along  in  the  direction  of  the  now  no 
longer  ridiculed  El  Dorado. 

We  pushed  along,  as  may  be  believed,  with  the  utmost  impa 
tience,  conjuring  up  the  most  flattering  visions  of  our  probable 
success  as  gold-hunters.  The  track  lay  through  a  spacious  grassy 
valley,  with  the  Americanos  River  winding  along  it,  on  our  left 
hand.  At  first,  the  stream  was  nearly  two  miles  distant  from  the 
track  of  our  caravan,  but  as  we  advanced  we  approached  its 
banks  more  nearly.  The  country  was  pleasant,  consisting  of  a 
succession  of  small  hills  and  valleys,  diversified  here  and  there  by 
groves  of  tall  oak  trees.  We  passed  several  wretched  Indian  vil 
lages — clusters  of  filthy  smoky  hovels,  and  now  and  then  caught 
sight  of  the  river  and  the  line  of  oak  trees  which  bordered  it.  We 
managed  tolerably  well  with  our  horses,  but  it  requires  great  ex 
perience  to  be  able  to  fasten  securely  the  loads  of  provisions  and 
stores  which  they  carry  on  their  backs.  Flour,  of  course,  formed 
the  principal  article  of  our  commissariat.  This  was  packed  up  in 
sacks,  which  were  again  inclosed  in  long  pockets,  made  of  hides, 
and  called  "  parfleshes,"  the  use  of  which  is  to  defend  the  canvas 
of  the  sacking  from  being  torn  by  branches  of  fern  and  underwood. 
The  sacks  we  secured  on  strong  pack-saddles,  between  which  and 
the  back  of  the  horse  were  some  thick  soft  cloths.  All  our  bag 
gage-horses  were  furnished  with  trail  ropes,  which  were  allowed 
to  drag  on  the  ground  after  the  horse,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling 
us  to  catch  him  more  readily.  Besides  the  animals  we  rode,  we 
had  seven  horses,  for  the  conveyance  of  our  provisions,  tents,  &c. 
The  two  we  bought  from  Captain  Slitter,  though  strong,  were 
skittish,  and  gave  us  much  trouble,  for  our  newly  engaged  ser 
vant,  whose  name  is  James  Horry,  knew  more  about  harpooning 
and  flenching  whales  than  about  the  management  of  horses.  He 
was  certainly  willing  and  did  his  best,  but  he  occasioned  some 
mirth  during  the  day's  inarch  by  his  extreme  awkwardness  on 
horseback.  However,  to  do  him  justice,  he  bore  the  numerous 
falls  which  he  came  in  for  with  great  philosophy,  starting  up 
again  every  time  he  was  "  grassed,"  and  laughing  as  loudly  as 
the  rest. 

At  noon  we  halted  to  refresh  by  the  side  of  a  small  stream  of 
crystal  purity.  While  making  preparations  for  our  hurried  meal, 
we  had  all  our  eyes  about  us  for  gold  in  the  channel  of  the  rivu 
let,  but  saw  none.  We  had  not  yet  reached  the  favored  spot. 
After  some  difficulty  in  catching  the  pack-horses,  one  of  the  per 
verse  brutes  having  taken  it  into  i:s  head  to  march  up  to  its  belly 
in  the  stream,  where  he  floundered  about  for  some  time,  enjoying 
the  coolness  of  the  water,  Ve  set  forward,  determined  to  reach  the 


36  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

lower  diggings  by  sundown.  As  we  neared  the  spot  the  ground 
gradually  became  more  broken  and  heavily  timbered  with  oak 
and  pine,  while  in  the  distance,  and  separated  from  us  by  deep 
forests  of  these  trees,  might  be  seen  a  long  ridge  of  snow-capped 
mountains — the  lofty  Sierra  Nevada.  But  we  were  too  anxious 
to  reach  the  gold  to  care  much  about  the  more  unprofitable  beau 
ties  of  Nature,  and  accordingly  urged  our  horses  to  the  quickest 
speed  they  could  put  forth.  We  were  now  travelling  along  the 
river's  banks,  and  towards  evening  came  in  sight  of  the  lower 
mines,  here  called  the  "Mormon"  diggings,  which  occupy  a  sur 
face  of  two  or  three  miles  along  the  river.  There  were  something 
like  forty  tents  scattered  up  the  hill  sides,  occupied  mostly  by 
Americans,  some  of  whom  had  brought  their  families  with  them. 
Although  it  was  near  sundown,  everybody  was  in  full  occupation. 
At  every  few  yards  there  were  men,  with  their  naked  arms, 
busily  employed  in  washing  out  the  golden  flakes  and  dust  from 
spadefuls  of  the  auriferous  soil.  Others  were  first  passing  it 
through  sieves,  many  of  them  freshly  made  with  intertwisted 
willow  branches,  to  get  rid  of  the  coarse  stones,  and  then  wash 
ing  the  lumps  of  soil  in  pots  placed  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
water,  the  contents  of  the  vessel  being  kept  continually  stirred  by 
the  hand  until  the  lighter  particles  of  earth  or  gravel  were  carried 
away. 

A  great  number  of  the  settlers,  however,  were  engaged  in  ma 
king  what  are  here  called  "  cradles  ;"  partly,  1  suppose,  from  their 
shape,  and  partly  from  the  rocking  motion  to  which  they  are 
subjected.  These  machines  were  being  roughly  constructed  of 
deal  boards.  Later  in  the  day  I  watched  one  of  them  at  work, 
and  had  the  process  explained  to  me.  Four  men  were  employed 
at  it.  The  first  shovelled  up  the  earth  ;  another  carried  it  to  the 
cradle,  and  dashed  it  down  on  a  grating  or  sieve — placed  hori 
zontally  at  the  head  of  the  machine — the  wires  of  which  being 
close  together,  only  allowed  the  smaller  particles  of  earth  and 
sand  to  fall  through  ;  the  third  man  rocked  the  cradle — I  must 
confess  I  never  saw  one  so  perseveringly  rocked  at  home  ;  while 
the  fourth  kept  flinging  water  upon  the  mass  of  earth  inside. — 
The  result  of  this  fourfold  process  is,  that  the  lighter  earth  is 
gradually  carried  off  by  the  action  of  the  water,  and  a  sort  of 
thick  black  sediment  of  sand  is  left  at  the  bottom  of  the  cradle. 
This  was  afterwards  scooped  out,  and  put  aside  to  be  carefully 
dried  in  the  sun  to-morrow  morning. 

I  can  hardly  describe  the  effect  this  sight  produced  upon  our 
party.  It  seemed  as  if  the  fabled  treasure  of  the  Arabian  Nights 
had  been  suddenly  realized  before  us.  We  all  shook  hands,  and 
swore  to  preserve  good  faith  with  each  other,  and  to  work  hard 
for  the  common  good.  The  gold  finders  told  us  that  some  of 
them  frequently  got  as  much  as  fifty  dollars  a-day.  As  we  rode 
from  camp  to  camp,  and  saw  the  hoarrls  of  gold — some  of  it  in 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  37 


flakes,  but  the  greater  part  in  a  coarse  sort  of  dust — which  these 
people  had  amassed  during  the  last  few  weeks,  we  felt  in  a  per 
fect  fluster  of  excitement  at  the  sight  of  the  wealth  around  us. 
One  man  showed  us  four  hundred  ounces  of  pure  gold  dust 
which  he  had  washed  from  the  dirt'in  a  tin  pan,  and  which  he 
valued  at  fourteen  dollars  an  ounce. 

As  may  be  imagined,  the  whole  scene  was  one  well  calculated 
to  take  a  strong  hold  upon  the  imagination.  The  eminences,  rising 
gradually  from  the  river's  banks,  were  dotted  with  white  canvas 
tents,  mingled  with  the  more  sombre-looking  huts,  constructed 
with  once  green  but  now  withered  branches.  A  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  river  lay  a  large  heap  of  planks  and  framings, 
which  I  was  told  were  intended  for  constructing  a  store ;  the 
owner  of  which,  a  sallow  Yankee,  with  a  large  pluffy  cigarette 
in  his  mouth,  was  laboring  away  in  his  shirt  sleeves. 

Bewildered  and  excited  by  the  novelty  of  the  scene,  we  were 
in  haste  to  pitch  our  camp,  and  soon  fixed  upon  a  location. — 
This  was  by  the  side  of  a  dried-up  water  course,  through  which, 
in  the  wet  season,  a  small  rivulet  joined  the  larger  stream  ;  we 
did  not,  however,  immediately  set  to  work  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  the  night.  Our  fingers  were  positively  itching 
for  the  gold,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  after  our  arrival,  the 
pack-horse  which  carried  the  shovels,  scoops,  and  pans,  had 
been  released  of  his  burden,  and  all  our  party  were  as  busily  em 
ployed  as  the  rest.  As  for  myself,  armed  with  a  large  scoop  or 
trowel,  and  a  shallow  tin  pail,  I  leapt  into  the  bed  of  the  rivulet, 
at  a  spot  where  I  perceived  no  trace  of  the  gravel  and  earth  hav 
ing  been  artificially  disturbed.  Near  me  was  a  small  clear  pool, 
which  served  for  washing  the  gold.  Some  of  our  party  set  to 
work  within  a  short  distance  of  me,  while  others  tried  their  for 
tune  along  the  banks  of  the  Americanos,  digging  up  the  shingle 
which  lay  at  the  very  brink  of  the  stream.  I  shall  not  soon  for 
get  the  feeling  with  which  I  first  plunged  my  scoop  into  the  soil 
beneath  me.  Half  filling  my  tin  pail  with  the  earth  and  shingle, 
I  carried  it  to  the  pool,  and  placing  it  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
water,  I  began  to  stir  it  with  my  hand  as  I  had  observed  the  oth 
er  diggers  do.  Of  course  I  was  not  very  expert  at  first,  and  I 
dare  say  I  flung  out  a  good  deal  of  the  valuable  metal.  How 
ever,  I  soon  perceived  that  the  earth  was  crumbling  away,  and 
was  being  carried  by  the  agitation  of  the  water  into  the  pool, 
which  speedily  became  turbid,  while  the  sandy  sediment  of 
which  I  had  heard,  remained  at  the  bottom  of  the  pail.  Careful 
ly  draining  the  water  away,  I  deposited  the  sand  in  one  of  the 
small  close-woven  Indian  baskets  we  had  brought  with  us,  with 
the  intention  cf  drying  it  at  the  camp-fire,  there  not  being  suffi 
cient  time  before  nightfall  to  allow  the  moisture  gradually  to  ab 
sorb  by  the  evaporation  of  the  atmosphere. 

After  working  for  about  half  an  hour,  1  retraced  my  steps 


gg  POUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

with  my  basket  to  the  spot  where  we  had  tethered  the  horses, 
and  found  the  animals  still  standing  there  with  their  burdens  on 
their  backs.  Mr.  Malcolm  was  already  there ;  he  had  with  him 
about  an  equal  quantity  of  the  precious  black  sand  ;  it  remained, 
however,  to  be  seen  what  proportion  of  gold  our  heaps  contained. 
In  a  short  time  Bradley  and  Don  Luis  joined  us,  both  of  them  in 
tip-top  spirits.  "  I  guess  this  is  the  way  we  do  the  trick  down  in 
these  clearings,"  said  the  former,  shaking  a  bag  of  golden  sand. 
As  for  Jose,  Don  Luis's  Indian  servant,  he  was  devout  in  his  ex 
pressions  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  Great  Spi 
rit,  whom  he  would  insist  upon  classifying  together,  in  a  most 
remarkable  and  not  quite  orthodox  manner. 

We  now  set  to  work  to  get  up  our  tent.  Malcolm,  in  the 
mean  time,  prepared  coffee  and  very  underbaked  cakes,  made  of 
the  flour  we  had  brought  with  us.  His  cooking  operations  were 
greatly  impeded  by  our  eagerness  to  dry  the  sand  we  had  scraped 
up — a  feat  in  the  achievement  of  which  Bradley  was  clumsy 
enough  to  burn  a  hole  in  our  very  best  saucepan.  However,  we 
managed  to  get  the  moisture  absorbed,  and,  shutting  our  eyes, 
we  commenced  blowing  away  the  sand  with  our  mouths,  and 
shortly  after  found  ourselves  the  possessors  of  a  few  pinches  of 
gold.  This  was  encouraging  for  a  beginning.  We  drank  our 
coffee  in  high  spirits,  and  then,  having  picketed  our  horses,  made 
ourselves  as  snug  as  our  accommodation  would  allow,  and,  being 
tired  out,  not  only  with  the  journey  and  the  work,  but  with  ex 
citement  and  anxiety,  slept  soundly  till  morning. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  morning  broke  brilliantly,  and  the  first  thing  we  disco 
vered  on  rising  was,  that  two  of  the  horses  had  broken  their 
fastenings  during  the  night  and  strayed.  As  we  could  not  afford 
to  lose  the' animals,  Jose  and  Horry  were  dispatched  to  look  after 
them,  and  they  grumbled  not  a  little  at  being  thus  sent  off  from 
the  scene  of  golden  operations  ;  but  Bradley,  producing  a  rifle, 
swore  that  he  would  shoot  them  both  unless  they  obeyed  orders ; 
so,  after  a  little  altercation,  away  they  went. 

Breakfast  was  soon  dispatched,  and  the  question  as  to  the 
day's  operations  asked.  Don  Luis  was  the  only  one  who,  on  the 
score  of  its  being  Sunday,  would  not  go  to  the  diggings.  He  had 
no  objection  to  amuse  himself  on  Sunday,  but  he  would  not  work. 
To  get  over  the  difficulty,  we  agreed  to  go  upon  the  principle  of 
every  man  keeping  his  own  findings,  our  bonds  of  unity  as  a 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  39 

party  to  extend  merely  to  mutual  protection  and  defence.  Leav 
ing  Don  Luis,  then,  smoking  in  the  tent,  we  proceeded  to  work, 
and  found  that  the  great  majority  of  the  gold  finders  appeared  to 
entertain  our  opinions,  or  at  all  events  to  imitate  our  practice,  as 
to  laboring  on  the  Sunday.  I  had  now  leisure  more  particularly 
to  remark  the  nature  of  the  soil  in  which  the  gold  was  found. 
The  dust  is  found  amid  the  shingle  actually  below  water,  but 
the  most  convenient  way  of  proceeding  is  to  take  the  soil  from 
that  portion  of  the  bed  which  has  been  overflowed  but  is  now 
dry.  It  is  principally  of  a  gravelly  nature,  full  of  small  stones, 
composed,  as  far  as  I  could  make  out,  of  a  species  of  jasper  and 
milky  quality,  mingled  with  fragments  of  slate  and  splinters  of 
basalt.  The  general  opinion  is  that  the  gold  has  been  washed 
down  from  the  hills. 

I  worked  hard,  as  indeed  we  all  did,  the  whole  morning. 
The  toil  is  very  severe,  the  constant  stooping  pressing,  of  course, 
upon  the  spinal  column,  whilst  the  constant  immersion  of  the 
hands  in  water  causes  the  skin  to  excoriate  and  become  exceed 
ingly  painful.  But  these  inconveniences  are  slight  when  com 
pared  to  the  great  gain  by  which  one  is  recompensed  for  them. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  our  usual  primitive  dinner  hour,  we  met  at 
the  tents,  tolerably  well  tired  with  our  exertions.  No  dinner, 
however,  was  prepared,  both  Jose  and  Horry  being  still  absent 
in  pursuit  of  the  strayed  horses.  We  had,  therefore,  to  resort  to 
some  of  our  jerked  beef,  which,  with  biscuits  and  coffee,  formed 
our  fare.  After  dinner,  we  determined  to  rest  until  the  next  day. 
The  fact  is,  that  the  human  frame  will  not  stand,  and  was  never 
intended  to  stand,  a  course  of  incessant  toil  ;  indeed,  I  believe 
that  in  civilized — that  is  to  say,  in  industrious — communities,  the 
Sabbath,  bringing  round  as  it  does  a  stated  remission  from  labor, 
is  an  institution  physically  necessary. 

We  therefore  passed  some  time  in  conversation,  which  was 
interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  Jose  and  Horry  with  the  strayed 
horses.  Horry  demanded  an  immediate  increase  of  wages, 
threatening  to  leave  us  and  set  to  work  on  his  own  account  if 
we  refused.  Bradley  tried  to  talk  big  and  bully  him,  but  in  vain. 
Jose  had  a  sort  of  fear  of  Don  Luis — who  in  return  looked  on  his 
servant  as  his  slave — so  he  said  nothing.  We  could  see.  how 
ever,  that  they  had  evidently  been  in  communication  with  the 
diggers  around,  and  so  we  gave  in.  Later  in  the  afternoon  I 
started  with  Malcolm  and  M'Phail  for  a  walk  through  the  dig 
gings.  We  found  comparatively  a  small  proportion  of  the  people 
who  had  commenced  work  in  the  morning  still  at  their  pans. 
Numbers  were  lying  asleep  under  the  trees,  or  in  the  shade  of 
their  tents  and  wagons.  Others  sat  smoking  and  chatting  in 
circles  upon  the  grass,  mending  their  clothes  or  performing  other 
little  domestic  duties  at  the  same  time.  It  was  really  a  motley 
scene.  Indians  strutted  by  in  all  the  pride  of  gaudy  calico,  the 


40  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

manners  of  the  savage  concealed  beneath  the  dress  of  the  civili 
zed  man.  Muscular  sun-burnt  fellows,  whose  fine  forms  and 
swarthy  faces  pronounced  that  Spanish  blood  ran  through  their 
veins,  gossiped  away  with  sallow,  hatchet-faced  Yankees,  smart 
men  at  a  bargain,  and  always  on  the  look-out  for  squalls.  Here 
and  there  one  spied  out  the  flannel  shirt  and  coarse  canvas 
trowsers  of  a  seaman — a  runaway,  in  all  probability,  from  a 
South  Sea  whaler ;  while  one  or  two  stray  negroes  chattered 
with  all  the  volubility  of  their  race,  shaking  their  woolly  heads 
and  showing  their  white  teeth.  I  got  into  conversation  with  one 
tall  American  ;  he  was  a  native-born  Kentuckian,  and  full  of  the 
bantam  sort  of  consequence  of  his  race.  He  predicted  wonder 
ful  things  from  the  discovery  of  the  mineral  treasures  of  Califor 
nia,  observing  that  it  would  make  a  monetary  revolution  all  over 
the  world,  and  that  nothing  similar,  at  least  to~so  great  an  extent, 
was  ever  known  in  history.  "  Look  around  !  for,  stranger,"  said 
he  to  me,  "  I  guess  you  don't  realize  such  a  scene  every  day,  and 
that's  a  fact.  There's  gold  for  the  picking  of  it  up,  and  by  all 
who  choose  to  come  and  work.  I  reckon  old  John  Bull  will 
scrunch  up  his  fingers  in  his  empty  pockets  when  he  comes  to 
hear  of  it.  It's  a  most  everlasting  wonderful  thing,  and  that's  a 
fact,  that  beats  Joe  Dunkin's  goose-pie  and  apple  sarse." 

Farther  on  we  came  upon  a  tremendous-looking  tent,  formed 
by  two  or  three  tents  being  flung  into  one,  which,  on  examination, 
we  found  was  doing  duty  as  a  chapel.  A  missionary,  from  one 
of  the  New  England  States,  as  I  hear,  was  holding  forth  to  a 
pretty  large  congregation.  The  place  was  very  hot  and  chokey, 
and  I  only  stayed  long  enough  to  hear  that  the  discourse  abound 
ed  in  the  cloudy  metaphors  and  vague  technicalities  of  Calvi- 
nistic  theology. 

The  remainder  of  the  afternoon  I  have  been  devoting  to 
writing  my  journal,  which  I  here  break  off  to  commence  a  hearty 
good  supper,  in  revenge  for  the  scrambling  sort  of  dinner  one  has 
had  to-day.  The  beef  doesn't  look  roasted  as  they  would  put  it 
on  the  table  at  the  Clarendon,  or  at  Astor  House  even :  but  none 
of  those  who  sit  down  at  the  Clarendon  table,  at  any  rate,  have 
such  an  appetite  as  I  now  have,  far  away  beyond  care  and  civili 
zation,  in  the  gold-gathering  region  of  California. 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  <j[ 


CHAPTER  X. 

June  5th. — We  have  labored  hard  all  day,  digging  and  wash 
ing,  and  with  good  success.  I  begin  to  hope  now  that  I  have 
really  laid  the  foundation  of  a  fortune,  and  I  thank  God  for  it.  I 
have  been  kicked  tolerably  well  about  the  world,  and  the  proverb, 
that  a  "  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss,"  has,  I  am  sure,  been  abun 
dantly  proved  by  my  case.  Now,  however,  I  have  a  grand 
chance,  and  I  am  resolved  that  all  that  industry  and  perseverance 
can  do  shall  be  done  to  improve  it. 

Before  starting  for  work  this  morning,  it  was  agreed  that  Jos6 
should  act  as  cook  for  the  day,  it  being  stipulated  that  he  was  to 
have  the  afternoon  to  himself  for  digging.  Horry  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  horses.  I  worked  hard,  keeping  near  Bradley,  and 
conversing  with  him  as  I  shovelled  the  gravel  into  the  pail,  and 
stirred  it  about  in  the  clear  pools.  We  had  very  fair  success,  but 
still  we  could  not  but  think  that  this  was  a  poor  way  of  proceed 
ing  ;  besides,  I  didn't  like  the  back-breaking  work  of  stooping 
all  day.  I  therefore  proposed  that  we  should  endeavor  to  knock 
up  a  cradle.  The  expense  for  wood  wbuld  certainly  be  great, 
but  it  would  be  better  to  incur  it  than  keep  to  the  present  rude 
and  toilsome  plan  of  operation. 

We  proposed  the  plan  to  our  comrades  at  dinner-time,  and  it 
was,  on  the  whole,  well  received.  Malcolm  and  M'Phail  entered 
into  the  notion,  and  we  determined  to  try  whether  we  could  not 
put  forth  sufficient  carpentering  ability  to  carry  it  out.  The  next 
day  was  fixed  upon  for  commencing  the  work. 

After  dinner  we  returned  to  our  shovels  and  pails.  In  the 
evening  we  were  anxious  to  know  how  much  gold  we  had 
realized  by  our  labors  up  to  the  present  time  ;  and.  accordingly,  I 
set  off'  to  borrow  a  pair  of  scales.  After  entering  several  tents  in 
vain,  I  was  directed  to  the  Yankee  who  had  the  materials  for  a 
store,  and  whose  name  was  Hiram  Ensloe.  He  had  several  pairs 
to  sell,  but  none  to  lend.  I  asked  his  prices,  and  now  had,  for  the  first 
time,  a  real  example  of  the  effects  of  plenty  of  gold  and  scarcity  of 
goods.  For  a  small  pair  of  ordinary  brass  scales,  with  a  set  of 
troy  weights,  I  paid,  on  behalf  of  the  party,  fifteen  dollars,  the 
seller  consoling  me  by  the  information  that  in  his  opinion,  if  the 
gold-hunters  continued  to  pour  in  for  a  fortnight  longer,  I  would 
not  have  got  the  article  for  three  times  the  amount. 

Furnished  with  my  purchase,  I  returned  to  the  tent,  and  the 
stock  of  gold  dust  realized  by  each  man  was  weighed,  and  com 
puted  at  the  current  rate  in  which  the  mercantile  transactions  of 
this  little  colony  are  reckoned — namely,  fourteen  dollars  each 
ounce  of  gold  dust.  We  found  that  M'Phail  and  Malcolm  had 


42  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

been,  upon  the  whole,  the  most  successful,  each  having  obtained 
nearly  two  ounces  of  pure  gold  dust,  valued  at  twenty-eight  dol 
lars.  I  myself  had  about  twenty-three  dollars'  worth",  and  Brad 
ley  had  twenty-five  dollars'  worth.  An  amount  which,  consider 
able  though  it  was,  we  hope  greatly  to  increase  as  soon  as  we  get 
our  cradle  into  operation. 

During  the  day,  there  were  numerous  arrivals  from  Sutler's 
Fort  ;  and  in  my  opinion,  these  diggings  will  soon  be  over 
crowded.  Two  of  the  new-comers  were  known  to  Bradley — one, 
a  Mr.  Biggs,  a  shipping  agent  from  San  Francisco ;  the  other, 
Mr.  Lacosse,  a  French  Canadian,  who  has  recently  settled  in  Ca 
lifornia.  They  accepted  our  offer  for  them  to  join  our  party.  If 
this  influx  of  people  continues,  I  think  the  Yankee  with  the  store 
will  do  better  than  any  one  ;  and  keeping  a  shanty  will  be  a  far 
more  profitable  speculation  than  handling  a  shovel  or  working  a 
cradle.  What  surprises  me  is,  that  in  this  remote  spot,  so  distant 
from  any  thing  that  can  be  called  Law,  so  much  tranquillity  pre 
vails  under  the  circumstances.  One  hears  of  no  deeds  of  vio 
lence,  or  even  dishonesty.  In  fact,  theft  would  hardly  pay.  The 
risk  would  be  more  than  the  advantage ;  for  if  any  one  was 
detected  plundering,  he  would  soon  have  a  rifle-bullet  put  through 
him.  One  thing  in  favor  of  good  order  is,  that  here  there  is  no 
unequal  distribution  of  property — no  favored  classes.  Every  man 
who  has. a  spade  or  a  trowel,  and  hands  to  use  them,  is  upon  an  , 
equality,  and  can  make  a  fortune  with  a  rapidity  hitherto  almost 
unknown  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

Sunday,  June  llth. — Nearly  a  week  has  elapsed  since  I  last 
opened  my  diary.  On  Tuesday,  we  set  to  work  upon  our  cradle, 
We  resolved  upon  the  construction  of  two ;  and  for  this  purpose, 
went  down  to  the  store  in  a  body,  to  see  about  the  boards.  We 
found  the  timber  extravagantly  dear,  being  asked  forty  dollars 
a-hundred.  After  some  bargaining,  we  obtained  sufficient  for  our 
purpose,  at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  dollars. 

The  next  question  was,  as  to  whether  we  should  hire  a  car 
penter.  We  were  told  there  were  one  or  two  in  the  diggings  who 
might  be  hired,  though  at  a  very  extravagant  rate.  Accordingly, 
Bradley  and  I  proceeded  to  see  one  of  these  gentlemen,  and  found 
him  washing  away  with  a  hollow  log  and  a  willow-branch  sieve. 
He  offered  to  help  us  at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  dollars-  a-day,  we 
finding  provisions  and  tools,  and  could  not  be  brought  to  charge 
less.  We  thought  this  by  far  too  extravagant,  and  left  him,  de 
termined  to  undertake  the  work  ourselves.  Meantime,  Horry 
had  brought  down  two  of  our  horses  with  him  to  the  store.  We 
loaded  them  immediately  with  boards,  and  returned  to  our  tent. 

After  breakfast,  which  consisted  of  coffee  without  milk,  flour 
cakes,  and  strips  of  dried  beef,  roasted  on  the  embers,  we  set  to 
work.  We  had  a  sufficient  mmiber  of  axes  and  a  good  stout 
saw,  one  large  plane,  arid  a  few  strong  chisels,  with  plenty  of 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  43 

nails.  As  may  be  expected,  we  proved  to  be  very  awkward  car 
penters.  Mr.  Lacosse  was  perhaps  the  handiest,  and  Malcolm 
not  much  inferior  to  him,  until  the  latter  unfortunately  received  a 
Severe  cut  with  a  chisel,  extending  in  a  transverse  line  along  the 
joint  of  the  fore-finger  of  the  left  hand.  I  strapped  up  the  wound, 
but  the  rough  work  soon  tore  away  the  diaculum  :  no  bad  conse 
quences,  however,  ensued.  The  wound,  in  spite  of  the  hard 
treatment  which  it  received,  closed  and  healed  by  the  first  inten 
tion — proving  the  healthy  habit  of  body  engendered  by  temper 
ance  and  constant  exercise  in  the  open  air. 

In  building  our  cradles,  or  "  gold  canoes,"  as  the  Indians  called 
them,  we  found  that  to  mortice  the  planks  into  each  other  was  a 
feat  of  carpentering  far  above  our  skill,  particularly  as  we  had  no 
mortice  chisels.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  adopt  the  ruder 
experiment  of  making  the  boards  overlap  each  other  by  about  an 
inch,  nailing  them  firmly  together  in  that  position.  As,  however, 
the  inequality  of  surface  at  the  bottom  of  the  cradle,  produced  by 
the  mode  of  building  would  have  materially  impeded  our  opera 
tions,  we  strained  some  pieces  of  tarred  canvas,  which  we  fortu 
nately  possessed  amongst  our  tent  cloths,  over  the  bottoms,  thus 
rendering  the  surface  even,  and  suited  to  our  purpose.  By 
the  time  we  had  got  so  far  with  our  undertaking,  we  felt  suffi 
ciently  tired  to  give  over  work  for  the  night.  We  had  labored 
unceasingly  at  them,  pausing  only  to  swallow  a  hasty  meal,  and 
stuck  by  our  hammers  and  chisels  till  dusk.  We  were  up  early 
the  next  morning,  and  toiled  away  to  get  the  cradles  completed, 
as  we  were  constantly  seeing  proofs  of  the  great  advantages  of 
these  machines.  We  fixed  a  wicker  sieve  over  the  head,  by 
means  of  a  couple  of  transverse  bars,  and  then  set  about  to  con 
struct  the  working  apparatus,  which  we  had  all  along  feared 
would  put  our  mechanical  skill  to  rather  a  severe  test;  but  we 
found  it  easier  than  we  had  anticipated,  and  before  sundown  the 
rockers  were  fixed  on  both  cradles,  which,  to  all  intents  and  pur 
poses,  were  now  ready  for  use.  The  work  was  rather  rough,  but  it 
was  firm  and  strong.  So  fearful  were  we  first  of  all  that  our  cra 
dles  might  be  removed  or  tampered  with  in  the  night,  that  I  jocu 
larly  proposed  two  of  us  should  give  up  the  shelter  of  the  tent, 
and,  like  pretty  children,  sleep  in  our  cradles  till  the  morning. 

The  next  day  we  set  to  work  with  them  with  the  utmost  eager 
ness,  having  first  dragged  the  lumbering  machines  to  a  likely 
spot  in  the  vicinity  of  the  water.  The  labor  was  hard  enough, 
but  nothing  compared  to  the  old  plan  of  pot-washing,  while  it 
saved  the  hands  from  the  injury  inflicted  by  continual  dabbling 
in  sand  and  water.  We  took  the  different  departments  of  labor  by 
turns,  and  found  that  the  change,  by  bringing  into  play  different 
sets  of  muscles,  greatly  relieved  us,  and  enabled  us  to  keep  the 
stones  rolling  with  great  energy.  In  the  evening,  with  the  help 
of  our  newly  purchased  scales,  we  tested  our  gains.  The  cradle 


44  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

which  was  worked  by  Don  Luis,  Malcolm,  and  myself,  for  it  was 
so  near  the  water  that  three  hands  were  sufficient,  had  realized 
six  ounces  of  gold  dust ;  the  other,  attended  to  by  Bradley, 
M'Phail,  Biggs,  and  Lacosse,  had  nearly  as  much.  During  the 
day  there  was  another  considerable  influx  of  people  to  the  dig 
gings  ;  the  banks  of  the  river  are  therefore  getting  more  and  more 
crowded,  and  we  hear  that  the  price  of  every  article  of  subsist 
ence  is  rising  in  the  same  proportion. 


CHAPTER  XL 

June  iSth:  Sunday. — The  proceedings  of  the  past  week  have 
been  but  a  repetition  of  those  of  the  week  previous,  the  amount 
of  gold  dust  realized  being  rather  greater,  and  amountingjon  an 
average  to  very  nearly  sixteen  ounces  per  day.  Cradles  are  now 
in  use  every  where  around  us ;  nevertheless,  the  numbers  who 
stand  in  the  water  washing  with  tin  or  wooden  bowls  do  not  ap 
pear  to  be  diminished. 

On  the  evening  of  Thursday  we  were  visited  by  a  gentleman 
from  Monterey,  a  Mr.  Larkin,  who,  I  believe,  is  connected  with 
the  States  Government,  and  who  has  arrived  in  the  diggings  with 
the  view  of  making  a  report  to  the  authorities  at  Washington. — 
Don  Luis  immediately  recognized  him,  and  invited  him  to  spend 
the  evening  and  night  in  our  tent.  We  were  very  anxious  to  hear 
the  news  from  the  coast,  and  Mr.  Larkin  in  turn  was  very  anx 
ious  to  pick  up  all  the  information  he  could  get  respecting  the 
diggings.  Don  Luis  says  he  is  a  man  of  large  fortune,  so  his 
tour  is  purely  one  of  inspection,  and  not  with  an  eye  to  business. 
We  made  him  as  comfortable  as  we  could ;  Lacosse  exerted  him 
self  in  the  manufacture  of  the  coffee  in  honor  of  our  guest,  and 
we  had  several  hours  of  interesting  conversation. 

Mr.  Larkin  said  he  had  no  idea  what  steps  the  Government 
at  Washington  would  take  with  reference  to  the  "  placer."  "  It 
can't  matter  much  to  you,  gentlemen,"  observed  he,  "for  although 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  being  upon  public  territory,  still,  be 
fore  any  instructions  can  be  received  from  Washington,  the  great 
body  of  the  diggers  and  washers  here  will  be  enriched  to  their 
heart's  content,  if  a  man  ever  does  feel  contented  with  any 
amount  of  wealth." — "  Your  observation,"  exclaimed  Malcolm, 
"puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story  which  my  father  used  to  tell  of  a 
farmer,  a  friend  of  his,  who  once  took  his  rent,  the  odd  money 
short,  to  an  old  miserly  landlord  rolling  in  wealth.  He  was  ask 
ed  by  him  why  he  had  not  brought  the  full  amount.  *  Why,'  re- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  45 

plied  the  farmer, '  I  thought  you  had  enough.' — '  Enough  ! '  said 
the  miser ;  '  do  you  know  what  enough  is  ?  I  '11  tell  you — 
Enough  is  something  more  than  a  man  hath  ! ' ' 

Mr.  Larkin  then  spoke  of  the  effects  of  the  "  mineral  yellow 
fever,"  as  he  called  it,  having  been  most  extraordinary  in  San 
Francisco.  When  he  left  that  town,  he  said  more  than  two-thirds 
of  the  houses  were  deserted.  We  were  not  surprised  at  this,  as 
we  knew  the  people  who  were  continually  arriving  here  must 
have  come  from  somewhere.  Nearly  all  the  ships  in  the  harbor 
too  had  lost  a  great  part  of  their  crews  by  desertion.  A  barque 
called  the  Amity  had  only  six  men  left  when  Mr.  Larkin  started 
from  the  port.  On  board  another  ship  from  the  Sandwich  Islands 
the  captain  was  left  actually  and  literally  alone.  On  the  road 
Mr.  Larkin  fell  in  with  another  captain  who  had  started  off  for 
the  gold  region  with  every  man  of  his  crew,  leaving  his  ship  un 
protected  in  port.  On  Mr.  Larkin  remonstrating  with  him  on  the 
flagrancy  of  his  conduct,  he  merely  replied,  "  Oh,  I  warrant  me 
her  cables  and  anchors  are  strong  enough  to  last  till  we  get  back." 
Mr.  Larkin  told  us  what  we  were  fully  prepared  to  hear,  name 
ly,  that  wages  and  salaries  of  all  classes  have  risen  immensely : 
clerks,  he  said,  were  getting  from  nine  hundred  to  twelve  hun 
dred  dollars,  instead  of  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  with  their  board.  Both  the  Star  and  Californian 
newspapers,  he  said,  had  stopped.  Thinking  to  surprise  us,  he 
told  us  that  shovels  which  used  to  be  one  dollar,  were  selling  in 
San  Francisco,  when  he  left,  for  five  and  six  dollars  each.  Brad 
ley  replied  that  he  thought  this  was  a  very  reasonable  figure,  for 
he  had  heard  thirty  dollars  offered  for  a  spade  that  very  day. 

"  Do  you  know,  by  the  by,"  said  Mr.  Larkin,  "  who  I  saw 
here  to-day,  up  to  his  knees  in  water,  washing  away  in  a  tin 
pan?  Why,  a  lawyer  who  was  the  Attorney  General  to  the 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  not  eighteen  months  ago." — "I 
guess,"  said  Bradley,  "  he  finds  gold- washing  more  profitable 
than  Sandwich  Island  law ;  but  he's  not  the  only  one  of  his 
brethren  that  is  of  much  the  same  spirit ;  there's  lots  of  lawyers 
in  these  diggings.  Well !  they  are  better  employed  now  than 
ever  they  were  in  their  lives.  They're  money-getting  rascals  all 
the  world  over ;  but  here  they  do  have  to  work  for  it,  that's  one 
comfort."  Before  turning  in,  we  took  a  stroll  through  the  camp 
with  Mr.  Larkin.  It  was  a  bright  moonlight  night,  and  some 
of  the  more  eager  diggers  were  still  at  work.  These  were  the 
new-comers,  probably,  who  were  too  much  excited  to  sleep 
without  trying  their  hands  at  washing  the  golden  gravel.  Mr. 
Larkin  left  us  the  following  day. 

June  23rti!,  Friday. — The  last  entry  in  my  diary  seems  to 

have  been  written  last  Sunday.     Next  day  we  began  to  find  the 

provisions  running  short.     A  consultation  was  accordingly  held 

upon  the  subject.    It  was  quite  out  of  the  question  to  buy  provi- 

4 


46  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

sions  in  the  diggings.  Work  as  one  might,  the  day's  living  o 
any  man  with  a  respectable  appetite — and  one  seems  always  to 
feel  hungry  here — would  pretty  well  absorb  the  day's  labor.  We 
therefore  determined  to  dispatch  Bradley  and  Jose  back  to  Slit 
ter's  Fort  for  a  supply,  it  being  stipulated  that  Bradley  should 
share  in  the  gold  we  might  find  during  their  absence.  This  ar 
rangement  being  duly  concluded,  they  started  off  the  following 
morning  on  horseback,  driving  before  them  the  two  beasts  we 
purchased  at  Sutler's.  We  instructed  Bradley,  if  possible,  to  buy 
a  light  wagon,  in  which  to  store  the  provisions  he  was  to  bring 
back.  The  two  extra  horses  would  be  able  to  draw  it,  and  such 
a  vehicle  would  be  useful  in  many  respects.  He  took  with  him 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  gold,  so  as  to  be  in  suffi 
cient  funds,  in  case  the  sum  demanded  should  be  an  over-exor 
bitant  one. 

They  departed  on  Tuesday,  and  we  continued  our  labors. 
Towards  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  I  had  a  piece  of  great  good 
luck.  I  was  digging  up  the  earth  to  throw  into  the  cradle,  when 
I  turned  up  a  lump  of  ore  about  the  size  of  a  small  walnut,  which 
I  knew  at  once  was  a  piece  of  gold.  It  weighed  two  ounces  and 
three-quarters.  This,  by  the  law  of  the  diggings — for  it  is  curious 
how  soon  a  set  of  rude  regulations  sprung  into  existence,  which 
every  body  seemed  to  abide  by — belonged  to  myself  and  not  to 
the  party,  it  being  found  before  the  earth  was  thrown  into  the 
cradle,  and  being  over  half-an-oimce  in  weight.  Higher  up  the 
Sacramento,  and  particularly  on  the  Bear  River,  one  of  its  tribu 
taries,  these  lumps  and  flakes  were  said  to  be  frequently  met 
with  ;  but  at  the  Mormon  digging  they  are  very  rare. 

On  Thursday,  about  sundown,  we  were  delighted  to  see  the 
approach  of  Bradley  with  a  well-loaded  wagon  of  light  but  strong 
construction.  He  had  just  arrived  in  time,  for  our  larder  was 
almost  exhausted.  We  were  prepared,  however,  to  have  stood  out 
another  day  or  two  on  short  rations,  rather  than  pay  the  prices 
asked  at  the  shanties.  Bradley  gave  us  a  short  account  of  the 
expedition.  They  reached  Slitter's  in  safety,  and  found  the  Fort 
as  busy  as  though  it  was  tenanted  by  a  swarm  of  bees.  A  sort  of 
hotel  had  at  last  been  opened,  and  the  landlord  was  driving  a  roar 
ing  trade.  The  emigrants  were  pouring  in,  purchasing  shovels, 
trowels,  pans,  and  whatever  else  they  wanted,  at  high  prices.  Pro 
fitable  as  was  the  washing  business,  Bradley  said  he  suspected 
the  store-keepers  at  the  Fort  were  clearing  more  by  their  branch  of 
the  enterprise  than  if  they  had  their  hands  in  the  pan  themselves. 
He  found  Captain  Sutter  well  and  hearty,  and,  the  morning  after 
his  arrival,  consulted  him  about  a  wagon.  The  Captain,  how- 
'  ever,  had  none  he  felt  inclined  to  sell,  nor  was  there  such  a  thing 
to  be  got  at  the  fort.  After  some  consideration,  however,  Captain 
Sutter  said  that  Mr.  Sinclair,  whose  rancho  was  about  three 
miles  off,  and  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  might  be  able  to 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  47 

accommodate  him.  Accordingly,  Bradley  made  the  best  of  his 
way  there,  but  found  Mr.  Sinclair  indisposed  to  trade.  At  length, 
after  a  good  deal  of  persuasion,  Bradley  succeeded  in  hiring  a 
wagon  and  wagoner  of  him  for  a  week.  The  vehicle  was  got 
across  the  river  that  night.  In  the  morning  he  started  it  off  well 
laden  with  provision,  and  arrived  here  without  any  accident  the 
same  evening.  We  were  now  well  victualled  for  a  month,  but 
were  puzzled  how  to  stow  away  our  large  stock  of  provisions, 
and  only  accomplished  it  satisfactorily  by  giving  up  the  tent  for 
this  purpose.  This  compelled  us  all  to  sleep  in  the  open  air ; 
but  as  yet  the  nights  are  very  mild  and  pleasant. 

Among  the  fresh  arrivals  at  the  diggings  the  native  Califor- 
nians  have  begun  to  appear  in  tolerable  numbers.  Many  of  these 
people  have  brought  their  wives,  who  are  attended  usually  by  In 
dian  girls.  The  graceful  Spanish  costume  of  the  new-comers 
adds  quite  a  feature  to  the  busy  scene  around.  There,  working 
amidst  the  sallow  Yankees,  with  their  wide  white  trowsers  and 
straw  hats,  and  the  half  naked  Indian,  may  be  seen  the  native- 
born  California!!,  with  his  dusky  visage  and  lustrous  black  eye, 
clad  in  the  universal  short  tight  jacket  with  its  lace  adornments, 
and  velvet  breeches  with  a  silk  sash  fastened  round  his  waist, 
splashing  away  with  his  gay  deer-skin  botas  in  the  mudded  water. 

The  appearance  of  the  women  is  graceful  and  coquettish. 
Their  petticoats,  short  enough  to  display  in  most  instances  a  well- 
turned  ankle,  are  richly  laced  and  embroidered,  and  striped,  and 
flounced  with  gaudy  colors,  of  which  scarlet  seems  to  have  the 
preference.  Their  tresses  hang  in  luxuriant  plaits  down  their 
backs;  and  in  all  the  little  accessories  of  dress,  such  as  earrings, 
necklaces,  &c.,  the  costume  is  very  rich.  Its  distinguishing  fea 
ture,  however,  is  the  reboso,  a  sort  of  scarf,  generally  made  of 
cotton,  which  answers  to  the  mantilla  of  Old  Spain.  It  is  worn 
in  many  different  and  graceful  fashions — sometimes  twined  round 
the  waist  and  shoulders  ;  at  others,  hanging  in  pretty  festoons 
about  the  figure,  but  always  disposed  with  that  indescribable  de 
gree  of  coquettish  grace  which  Spanish  women  have  been  for  ages 
allowed  to  possess  in  the  management  of  the  fan  and  the  mantilla. 
Since  these  arrivals,  almost  every  evening  a  fandango  is  got  up 
on  the  green,  before  some  of  the  tents.  The  term  fandango, 
though  originally  signify  ing  a  peculiar  kind  of  dance,  seems  to  be 
used  here  for  an  evening's  dancing  entertainment,  in  which  many 
different  pas  are  introduced.  I  was  present  at  a  fandango  a  few 
nights  ago,  where  a  couple  of  performers  were  dancing  "el  jarabe," 
which  seemed  to  consist  chiefly  of  a  series  of  monotonous  toe  and 
heel  movements  on  the  ground.  The  motions  of  the  foot  were,  how 
ever,  wonderfully  rapid,  and  always  in  exact  time  to  the  music. 
But  at  these  entertainments  the  waltz  seems  to  be  the  standing 
dish.  It  is  danced  with  numerous  very  intricate  figures,  to  which, 


49  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

however,  all  the  Californians  appear  quite  au  fait.  Men  and 
women  alike  waltz  beautifully,  with  an  easy  graceful  swinging 
motion. 

It  is  quite  a  treat,  after  a  hard  day's  work,  to  go  at  nightfall 
to  one  of  these  fandangos.  The  merry  notes  of  the  guitar  and 
the  violin  announce  them  to  all  comers  ;  and  a  motley  enough 
looking  crowd,  every  member  of  which  is  puffing  away  at  a 
cigar,  forms  an  applauding  circle  around  the  dancers,  who  smoke 
like  all  the  rest.  One  cannot  help  being  struck  by  the  picturesque 
costumes  and  graceful  movements  of  the  performers,  who  appear 
to  dance  not  only  with  their  legs,  but  with  all  their  hearts  and 
souls.  Lacosse  is  a  particular  admirer  of  these  fandangos,  and 
he  very  frequently  takes  a  part  in  them  himself.  During  the  in 
terval  between  the  dances,  coffee  is  consumed  by  the  senoras? 
and  the  coffee  with  something  stronger  by  the  senors ;  so  that,  as 
the  night  advances,  the  merriment  gets,  if  not "  fast  and  furious," 
at  least  animated  and  imposing. 

Sunday,  June  25th. — We  have  all  of  us  given  over  working 
on  Sundays,  as  we  found  the  toil  on  six  successive  days  quite 
hard  enough.  Last  week  we  had  rather  indifferent  success,  hav 
ing  realized  only  nineteen  ounces  of  gold,  barely  three  ounces  a 
man.  The  dust  is  weighed  out  and  distributed  every  evening, 
and  each  man  carries  his  portion  about  his  person.  Jose^  who 
has  amassed  a  tolerable  quantity  by  working  in  his  spare  time, 
is  constantly  feeling  to  see  whether  his  stock  is  safe.  He  weighs 
it  two  or  three  times  a-day,  to  ascertain,  I  suppose,  whether  it 
exhausts  itself  by  insensible  perspiration,  or  other  means,  and  in 
vokes,  by  turns,  every  saint  in  the  calendar — -his  patron-saint, 
Joseph,  in  particular — -and  all  his  own  heathenish  spirits,  to  keep 
his  treasure  safe.  In  accordance  with  a  vow  he  made  before  he 
started  from  Monterey,  he  has  set  apart  one  fourth  of  his  trea 
sure  for  the  Big  Woman,  as  he  calls  the  Virgin  Mary — in  contra 
distinction  to  the  Great  Spirit,  I  imagine ;  but  I  fancy  her  stock  of 
gold  decreases  every  day,  and  that  Jose  doesn't  play  her  fair. 

We  had  a  great  deal  of  serious  conversation  this  afternoon  upon 
the  propriety  of  moving  further  up  the  river,  and  trying  some  of 
the  higher  washings ;  for  our  last  week's  labor  was  a  terribly 
poor  yield.  We  remembered  Captain  Suiter's  account  of  how 
Mr.  Marshall  had  first  discovered  the  gold  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
mill,  and  how  plentiful  it  seemed  to  lie  there.  Besides,  the  dig 
gings  are  getting  overcrowded  ;  the  consequence  of  which  isf 
that  we  have  had  several  of  our  pans  and  baskets  stolen.  We 
therefore  decided  that,  if  we  could  sell  our  cradles  to  advantage — 
and  there  is  some  likelihood  of  this,  for  there  is  not  a  carpenter 
left  all  through  these  diggings  to  make  others  for  the  constant 
new  comers — to  move  higher  up  the  Fork,  and  try  our  fortune  at 
a  less  crowded  spot.  There  is  one  thing  that  I  think  I  shall  re- 


1 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  49 

gret  leaving  myself,  and  that  is,  the  fandango  and  the  two  or  three 
pretty  senoritas  one  has  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  at  it  almost 
every  night. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

Sunday,  July  2nd. — Yesterday,  in  accordance  with  the  resolu 
tions  debated  this  day  week,  we  left  the  Mormon  diggings,  and 
pursued  our  course  up  the  Americans'  River.  It  was  on  Thurs 
day  night  that  we  adopted  the  final  determination  of  moving  off 
from  our  late  quarters  ;  and  accordingly,  next  day  I  walked  with 
Bradley  and  M'Phail  through  the  diggings,  to  try  to  find  purcha 
sers  for  our  cradles.  This  was  not  a  difficult  task.  We  had 
plenty  of  offers ;  and  we  were  so  importuned  by  some  six  or  eight 
people,  who  were  anxious  to  trade  with  us,  that  we  decided  in  a 
minute  on  having  an  auction  of  them.  I  was  not  bold  enough  to 
play  the  part  of  auctioneer  myself,  but  Bradley  very  coolly  mount 
ed  on  the  top  of  one  of  the  machines,  and  called  upon  "gentlemen 
traders"  for  their  biddings.  This  was  a  capital  move.  The 
highest  offer  we  had  previously  obtained  was  one  hundred  and 
sixty  dollars  for  the  largest  of  the  two  machines;  but  Bradley 
succeeded  in  coaxing  the  purchasers  on — stopping  now  and  then 
to  expatiate  on  the  mint  of  gold,  which,  he  guessed,  he  would 
warrant  it  to  produce  daily  •  and  then  calling  to  their  minds  the 
fact  that  this  was  "the  identical  cradle  into  which  the  lump  of 
gold  weighing  two  ounces  and  three-quarters — the  largest  piece 
ever  found  at  the  Mormon  diggings — was  about  to  have  been 
shovelled  when  it  was  discovered  and  seized  hold  of  by  the  for 
tunate  digger — the  gentleman  on  my  right  hand — who,  as  you 
all  know,  in  accordance  with  the  admirable  laws  of  these  dig 
gings,  laid  claim  to  it  as  his  private  property."  This  produced  a 
roar  of  laughter ;  but,  what  was  better,  it  produced  a  roar  of  bid 
dings,  and  the  cradle  was  knocked  down  at  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  dollars,  payable  in  gold  dust,  at  the  standard  rate  of 
fourteen  dollars  the  ounce,  or  a  discount  of  ten  per  cent,  if  settled 
in  broad  silver  pieces.  The  other  cradle  fetched  us  one  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars. 

For  these  two  cradles,  therefore,  we  got  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars'  worth  of  dust.  The  same  night  we  occu 
pied  ourselves  in  constructing  strong  bags,  made  of  rough  hides, 
and  well  strapped  round  the  person,  for  the  conveyance  of  the 
gold  dust  and  scales  which  we  had  already  amassed. 

On  Wednesday  morning,  before  sunrise,  we  had  sent  the 
wagon  and  wagoner,back  to  Mr.  Sinclair's  rancho,  accompanied 


50  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THF 

by  Jose,  who  returned  on  the  evening  of  Thursday  with  the 
horses. 

We  found,'  on  starting,  that  our  horses  could  not  carry  all  the 
provisions,  and  at  the  same  time  perform  a  good  day's  work. 
We,  therefore,  left  some  of  the  more  bulky  articles  under  the 
charge  of  a  man  from  San  Francisco,  known  to  Bradley,  and  de 
parted.  We  made  good  progress  for  a  mile  or  two ;  and,  as  we 
crossed  the  brow  of  a  hill,  halted  a  moment  to  observe  the  busy 
aspect  of  the  washings,  as  they  appeared  from  a  distance.  The 
country,  as  we  ascended  the  stream,  became  hourly  more  hilly 
and  broken.  Its  general  aspect  was  grassy,  and  the  soil  appeared 
fertile.  Here  and  there  deep  gullies  crossed  our  path,  over  which 
we  had  great  difficulty  in  urging  the  horses,  heavily  loaded  as 
they  were.  At  one  of  these  ravines,  the  animal  which  conveyed 
the  tent-poles  lost  his  footing,  and  went  scrambling  down  the 
edge  of  the  descent,  bearing  with  him  a  whole  avalanche  of  gra 
vel  and  shingles.  Malcolm  and  Lacosse  went  after  the  brute, 
and  succeeded  in  forcing  it  up  by  a  less  precipitous  path. 

At  noon  we  halted  and  dined.  During  the  afternoon,  we  ob 
served  a  sort  of  small  jackall,  of  the  kind  called  Koyott,  hover 
ing  about  the  line  of  march.  It  only  occasionally  showed  itself 
amongst  the  long  rank  grass  and  bushes.  Bradley,  however, 
got  his  rifle  ready,  but,  although  he  fired  several  shots,  the  animal 
was  too  nimble  or  restless  for  even  the  practised  eyed  and  hand 
of  a  Yankee  rifleman  to  be  certain  of  his  aim.  In  a  shot  at  a 
young  antelope  which  bounded  past,  however,  Bradley  was  more 
successful ;  and  we  were  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  a  supper  on 
tender  venison.  In  a  few  minutes  he  had  slung  the  animal  over 
his  horse's  haunches,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  route. 

The  country  became  more  broken  and  mountainous  as  we 
advanced ;  and  in  approaching  the  location 'of  the  saw-mills,  the 
hills  appeared  to  rise  nearly  one  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  Sacramento.  They  were  diversified  by  groves  of  gigantic 
pine  and  oak  trees.  We  were  looking  anxiously  about  for  the 
saw-mills,  when  we  heard  the  crack  of  a  rifle  ;  and  presently  a 
man  in  white  linen  trowsers,  with  his  legs  defended  by  buckskin 
moccasons,  wearing  a  broad  Mexican  sombrero,  and  carrying  his 
rifle  in  his  hand,  approached  us.  This  person  turned  out  to  be 
Mr.  Marshall.  He  received  us  kindly,  and  asked  the  news  from  the 
lower  washings,  and  also  how  matters  were  looking  at  Slitter's 
when  we  passed  through.  Mr.  Marshall  had  a  gang  of  fifty  In 
dians  employed,  and  Captain  Sutler  had  another  party  of  nearly 
double  that  number,  on  the  same  bank  of  the  river. 

We  encamped  in  a  woody  bottom,  by  the  side  of  a  small 
stream,  Avhich  joined  tbe  main  torrent  here,  and  where  there  was 
good  pasture  for  the  horses.  Mr.  Marshall's  house  was  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  further  up  the  river.  After  a  good  supper  of 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  5| 

venison  steaks — thanks  to  Bradley's  rifle — we  turned  in  for  the 
night. 

Next  day,  Lacosse  and  M'Phail,  attended  by  Horry,  and  dri 
ving  two  extra  horses,  rode  down  to  the  Mormon  diggings,  for  the 
purpose  of  getting  up  the  provisions  which  we  had  left  behind. 
Meantime,  I  walked  out  to  reconnoitre  our  new  quarters.  I  soon 
arrived  at  the  mills,  and  saw  the  spot  where  the  discovery  of  the 
gold  had  first  been  made,  by  the  torrent  laying  bare  the  sides  of 
the  mill-race.  Here  I  met  Mr.  Marshall  again.  Of  course,  the 
operations  of  the  saw-mill  had  been  stopped,  for  the  workmen 
were  employed  in  the  vicinity,  either  above  or  below  the  works, 
digging  and  washing  on  their  own  account.  Mr.  Marshall  paid 
the  Indians  he  had  at  work  chiefly  in  merchandise.  I  saw  a 
portion  of  the  gang,  the  men  dressed  for  the  most  part  in  cotton 
drawers  and  moccasons,  leaving  the  upper  part  of  the  body  naked. 
They  worked  with  the  same  implements  as  those  used  in  the 
lower  washings.  Not  far  from  the  place  where  most  of  them 
were  employed,  I  saw  a  number  of  the  women  and  children 
pounding  acorns  in  a  hollow  block  of  wood  with  an  oblong  stone. 
Of  the  acorn  flour  thus  produced,  they  make  a  sort  of  dry,  hard, 
unpalatable  bread,  which  assuredly  none  but  an  Indian  stomach 
could  digest. 

Upon  instituting  a  more  particular  search  into  the  nature  of 
the  country  and  our  prospects,  we  found  that  the  places  where 
the  gold  was  found  in  the  greatest  abundance,  and  in  the  largest 
masses,  were  the  beds  of  the  mountain  torrents,  now  dry,  which 
occasionally  descend  into  both  the  forks  of  the  stream.  We 
clambered  up  some  of  those  precipitous  ravines,  and  observed, 
upon  several  occasions,  as  we  scrambled  amongst  the  shingle, 
shining  spangles  of  gold.  The  soil  was  evidently  richly  charged, 
but  the  great  disadvantage  was  the  comparative  distance  from 
water.  In  the  evening  our  friends  arrived  from  the  lower  dig 
gings,  with  the  provisions  all  safe  and  sound,  and  next  day  we 
determined  to  set  to  work. 

July  3rd. — Selecting  a  likely  place  in  the  heart  of  a  steep 
mountain  gorge,  we  transported  thither  larger  Indian  baskets 
which  we  had  purchased  at  Slitter's  Fort,  and,  shovelling  the 
earth  into  them,  passed  poles,  cut  from  the  nearest  pine  tree, 
through  the  rope-handles  we  had  affixed  to  these  baskets.  Rest 
ing  the  poles  on  our  shoulders,  we  carried  the  loaded  baskets  to 
the  brink  of  the  stream,  and  then  set  to  work  after  the  old  fashion, 
with  our  hands  in  the  baskets.  Our  success  was  great,  and  the 
day's  return  shows  a  decided  improvement  upon  the  Mormon 
diggings.  The  soil  here  is  more  richly  impregnated  with  gold 
than  below  ;  but  the  labor  of  carrying  the  earth  to  the  water  is 
excessive,  and  I  am  so  tired  this  evening  that  I  very  reluctantly 
opened  my  journal  to  make  this  short  entry. 

July  kth. — As  we  were  starting  off  to  the  river  with  our  first 


52  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

basket  loads  of  gravel  this  morning,  Lacosse  suddenly  remarked 
that  he  did  not  see  why  the  horses  should  be  living  like  gentle 
men  when  the  gentlemen  were  working  like  horses  ;  and  he  pro 
posed  to  use  the  shoulders  of  our  nags,  instead  of  our  own,  for  the 
conveyance  of  the  earth.  We  all  fell  in  with  this  proposal,  won 
dering  it  had  never  struck  us  before,  and  the  horses  were  soon 
fetched  from  their  comfortable  quarters  among  the  tall  rank  grass, 
and  set  to  work,  with  the  baskets  slung  over  their  backs,  like 
panniers. 

Several  new-comers  from  the  Mormon  diggings  passed  us  to 
day,  bound  further  up  the  Fork.  In  the  morning  Mr.  Marshall 
paid  us  a  visit,  to  know  how  we  were  getting  on.  He  had  heard 
from  Captain  Sutter,  who  stated  that  he  thought  of  starting  for 
the  upper  or  lower  washings  himself,  as  soon  as  he  had  gathered 
in  his  wheat  harvest,  which  he  hoped  to  accomplish  during  the 
present  week.  A  number  of  wild  ducks  haunt  the  river,  and 
especially  abound  in  the  grassy  and  weedy  pools  which  skirt  its 
edges.  This  morning  we  shot  some  of  these,  and  found  them  an 
agreeable  addition  to  our  dinner  bill  of  fare. 

The  afternoon  has  been  passed  among  the  greater  part  of  the 
miners  here  as  a  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  American 
Independence.  Something  like  an  out-door  feast  was  got  up,  and 
toasts  were  drank  and  songs  sung  ;  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  and  the 
'•'  Star-spangled  Banner,'-  being  the  chief  favorites.  Bradley  made 
a  smart  speech  j  and,  contrary  to  his  usual  practice,  complimented 
us  Englishmen  with  a  round  of  pleasant  allusions  to  the  mother 
country. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WEBER'S  CREEK. 

July  9tk. — A  few  more  days'  experience  at  the  saw-mills  con 
vinced  us  that  much  time  and  labor  was  lost  in  consequence  of 
the  distance  between  the  digging  we  worked  at  and  the  water, 
and  we  therefore  determined  to  seek  a  more  desirable  location. 
Ever  since  we  had  been  at  the  saw-mills  we  had  heard  it  constant 
ly  said,  that  at  Weber's  Creek  the  gold  was  to  be  found  in  far 
greater  abundance  :  and  to  Weber's  Creek  we  determined  to  go. 
The  stream  thus  called  is  a  small  tributary  to  the  northern  fork 
of  the  Americans'. 

We  struck  our  tents  yesterday  morning,  loaded  our  horses, 
and  took  our  departure.  The  river,  at  the  fording  place,  was 
broad  and  rapid,  but  shallow ;  the  principal  difficulties  in  the 
ford  arose  from  the  number  of  smooth  round  stones,  covered  with 
green  rince  slime,  which  formed  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  over 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  53 

« 

which  our  horses  stumbled,  with  a  violence  which  threatened  to 
disturb  the  fastening  of  iheir  burdens.  No  disaster,  however, 
actually  occurred,  except  to  poor  Horry,  whose  horse  stumbled 
over  a  large  boulder,  and  pitched  its  luckless  rider  over  its  head 
into  the  water,  to  the  unassembled  delight  of  the  entire  party, 
who  hailed  the  poor  sailor's  discomfiture  with  loud  bursts  of 
laughter.  Horry  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  further  bank, 
without  paying  any  more  attention  to  his  horse,  which,  however, 
emerged  from  the  water,  and  was  on  dry  land  as  soon  as  Horry 
himself. 

We  now  proceeded  along  the  right  bank  of  the  North  Fork, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  party  of  Indians 
at  work,  which  we  afterwards  learned  to  be  that  of  Mr.  Sinclair. 
In  one  week  this  party  had  gathered  sixteen  pounds  troy  of  fine 
washed  gold  dust.  They  worked  hard,  were  well  fed,  and  had 
liberal  rations  of  "  strong  water"  daily.  We  rested  a  couple  of 
hours  at  noon,  in  a  pleasant  bottom,  heavily  timbered,  and  after 
wards,  striking  away  from  the  river  at  an  acute  angle,  moved 
leisurely  on  through  a  broken  country,  intersected  by  many  water 
courses,  and  overgrown  with  dense  clusters  of  trees. 

During  our  afternoon  march  we  passed  several  deserted  Indian 
villages — the  round-shaped  skeletons  of  the  huts  alone  remaining 
to  mark  the  former  settlements.  Not  a  member  of  the  tribe,  how 
ever,  was  to  be  seen  ;  the  beaver  may  build  and  the  deer  pasture 
hereabouts  in  peace.  Towards  evening  we  entered  the  valley 
drained  by  the  stream  called  Weber's  Creek.  Its  appearance  was 
very  beautiful,  and  the  stream  descended  along  a  steep  rocky  bed, 
foaming  round  large  boulder  stones,  and  tumbling  down  low 
ledges  of  granite.  The  grassy  slopes  of  the  valley  are  cut  up  in 
all  directions  with  rivulets,  the  courses  of  which  are  marked  by 
luxuriant  underwood,  rank  grass,  and  groves  of  stunted  oaks. 
Two  or  three  arbors  were  to  be  seen  with  one  or  two  rude-look 
ing  tents,  all  with  blazing  fires  before  them.  We  encamped  forth 
with,  hoping  the  next  day  to  reach  a  station  which  we  could 
make  available  for  our  purpose. 

We  were  early  on  the  move  this  morning,  and  soon  saw  seve 
ral  parties  of  threes  and  fours  washing  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  or 
exploring  the  mountain  gorges  with  their  shovels  and  mattocks. 
The  weather  was  getting  oppressively  hot ;  indeed,  the  further 
we  got  from  the  Sacramento  the  hotter  did  it  become.  The  sea 
breeze  never  penetrates  here  to  refresh  us,  and,  except  when  an 
occasional  squall  comes  sweeping  down  from  the  hills,  the  air  is 
very  oppressive. 

We  travelled  but  slowly,  still  in  an  hour  or  so  we  reached  a 
station,  about  fifteen  miles  as  the  crow  flies,  or  about  twenty  by 
the  windings  of  the  stream,  from  the  point  of  its  junction  with  the 
Americanos,  where  we  determined  to  try  our  luck.  There  was 
quite  a  camp  here — not  to  the  same  extent  as  the  Mormon  dig- 


54  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

gings,  but  still  the  washers  were  numerous,  and  the  larger  part 
of  them  were  Indians.  Some  few  of  them  worked  in  the  bed  of 
the  river,  but  the  great  majority  were  engaged  in  the  ravines 
leading  up  the  mountains.  The  greatest  quantity  of  gold  dust 
was  found  in  the  former,  while  the  latter  yielded  the  best  speci 
mens  of  lump  and  scale  gold.  We  were  told  that,  though  the 
side  gullies  were  very  rich,  yet  they  were  more  uncertain  than 
the  main  stream.  Lumps  of  gold,  weighing  several  ounces,  were 
continually  met  with,  but  a  morning  was  often  wasted  and  no 
thing  found  ;  whereas,  if  a  man  stuck  to  the  main  stream,  and 
washed  all  day  long,  he  was  sure  of  his  ounce  or  couple  of  ounces 
of  gold.  For  these  reasons  we  determined  to  stand  by  the  river. 
Our  first  business  was  to  see  if  we  could  manage  to  construct  a 
couple  of  cradles'.  At  a  large  store  here  we  met  with  some  pine 
planks,  but  the  figure  was  most  exorbitant.  Taking  a  hint  from 
what  we  had  noticed  among  the  Indians  at  the  saw-mills,  we  de 
termined  to  fell  a  couple  of  stout  trees,  arid  hollow  them  out  so  as 
to  serve  our  purpose.  We  obtained  the  assistance  of  a  man  here, 
a  ship's  carpenter,  and  a  most  civil  obliging  sort  of  fellow,  who 
gave  us  a  day's  help  for  thirty  dollars.  He  superintended  the 
felling  of  the  trees,  and  then  put  us  in  the  way  of  proceeding  with 
the  work.  We  found  the  toil  sufficiently  severe,  and  began  to 
feel  the  heat,  as  I  thought,  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  was  the 
case  in  the  lower  part  of  the  country. 

July  18th. — Yesterday  we  were  employed,  from  early  in  the 
morning  till  beyond  noon,  in  trimming  and  hollowing  out  our 
cradles.  While  we  were  seated  together  outside  the  tent  enjoying 
a  few  whiffs  of  our  pipes  and  cigars,  after  a  famous  dinner  of 
smoking-hot  steaks  and  frijoles,  we  saw  the  camp  below  was  all 
in  commotion.  People  were  running  out  of  their  tents,  and  shout 
ing  to  their  neighbors,  and  gradually  a  little  crowd  was  formed 
round  a  group  of  horsemen,  who  were  just  then  brought  to  a  halt. 
That  same  feeling  of  curiosity  which  gets  together  a  London  crowd 
to  see  the  lion  on  the  top  of  Northumberland  House  wag  his  tail, 
caused  us  to  make  our  way,  with  the  rest  of  the  gapers,  down  to 
Bennett's  shanty,  against  which  all  this  bustle  appeared  to  be  go 
ing  on.  As  soon  as  Bradley  and  myself  could  force  our  way  a 
little  through  the  crowd,  we  recognized  in  a  moment  the  features 
of  Colonel  Mason.  The  Colonel,  who  wore  an  undress  military 
uniform,  had  just  dismounted  his  horse,  with  the  intention,  it  ap« 
peared,  of  walking  through  the  diggings.  In  a  couple  of  minutes' 
time  my  friend  Lieutenant  Sherman  came  up,  and  we  soon  were 
engaged  in  an  animated  conversation  in  reference  to  the  gold  dis 
trict.  The  fact  was,  the  Governor  was  on  a  tour  of  inspection  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  report  to  the  Cabinet  at  Washington.  I  took 
care  to  thank  Lieutenant  Sherman  for  his  letter  of  introduction  to 
Captain  gutter,  and  to  explain  to  him  the  friendly  manner  in 
which  Captain  Sutler  received  me.  I  then  joined  in  the  conver- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  55 

satiori  being  carried  on  with  Colonel  Mason,  who  was  giving  his 
opinion  as  to  what  the  Government  would  do  with  respect  to  the 
gold  placer.  The  Colonel  was  very  guarded  in  his  statements. 
He,  however,  hinted  that  he  thought  it  would  be  politic  for  Con 
gress  to  send  over  proper  officers  and  workmen,  and  at  once  es 
tablish  a  mint  at  some  convenient  point  on  the  coast.  He  fully 
admitted  the  difficulties  of  keeping  men  to  their  engagements  un 
der  circumstances  like  the  present ;  but  said  some  steps  must  be 
taken  to  check  the  system  of  desertions  on  the  part  of  the  troops 
quartered  at  Monterey  and  San  Francisco.  The  pay  of  the  soldiers, 
he  considered,  ought  to  be  increased  ;  but,  without  reference  to 
this,  he  told  the  gentlemen  round  him  that,  as  good  citizens,  they 
were  bound  to  lend  their  utmost  endeavors  to  secure  in  safe  cus 
tody  all  known  deserters — men  who  had  abandoned  their  flag 
and  exposed  the  country  to  danger,  that  they  might  live  in  a  state 
of  drunkenness  at  the  mines. 

Colonel  Mason  next  proceeded  to  visit  Captain  Weber's  store, 
whither  Bradley  accompanied  him.  On  his  return,  Bradley  in 
formed  us  that  the  Colonel  and  his  escort  intended  to  set  off  on 
their  way  back  to  Sutler's  Fort  that  very  afternoon,  and  they 
reckoned  upon  encamping  some  few  miles  below  the  saw-mills  that 
night.  Bradley  then  took  me  aside  and  asked  me  whether  this 
would  not  be  a  good  opportunity  to  send  our  stock  of  gold  dust 
down  to  Captain  Sutler,  who  would,  for  a  reasonable  commis 
sion,  consign  it  to  a  merchant  at  Monterey  on  our  account.  The 
weight  of  it  was  becoming  cumbersome,  and  we  were  besides  in 
constant  apprehension  of  some  unfortunate  accident  happening 
to  it.  Now  was  the  time,  Bradley  urged,  to  place  all  we  had  as 
yet  realized  in  security.  He  knew  Colonel  Mason — in  fact,  had 
served  under  him,  and  undertook,  if  the  remainder  of  the  party 
were  agreeable,  to  carry  the  gold,  under  the  protection  of  Colonel 
Mason's  escort,  to  Slitter's  Fort. 

There  was  something  reasonable  in  this  proposal,  and  Colonel 
Mason,  on  being  appealed  to,  said  he  vwould  gladly  give  Mr. 
Bradley  such  protection  as  his  escort  would  afford  him,  and 
would  be,  moreover,  happy  of  his  company.  Our  party  was, 
therefore,  summoned  together,  and  the  whole,  or  nearly  so,  of  the 
gold  dust  being  produced,  it  was  weighed  in  our  presence,  and 
found  to  amount  to  twenty-seven  pounds  eight  ounces  troy — val 
ued  at  over  four  thousand  six  hundred  dollars.  Bradley  gave  a 
receipt  for  this  to  the  company,  and  engaged  to  obtain  a  similar 
one  from  Captain  Sutler.  The  gold  dust  was  then  packed  in 
a  small  portmanteau  well  secured  by  numerous  cords,  and  firmly 
bound  on  the  pack-saddle  of  an  extra  horse,  which  Bradley  was 
to  ride  alongside  of,  the  bridle  of  the  animal  being  secured  to  his 
arm,  and  its  trail-rope  made  fast  to  the  saddle  of  the  horse  which 
Bradley  himself  rode.  He  was  well  armed  with  pistols  and  a 
rifle,  and  started  with  Colonel  Mason's  party  a  couple  of  hours 


56  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE  , 

before  sundown — so  that  they  might  ford  the  river  ere  it  was 
dusk.  After  accomplishing  this,  they  intended  to  ride  part  of  the 
way  by  the  light  of  the  moon. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

July  12th,  Wednesday. — We  finished  our  cradles  late  upon  Sat 
urday  night,  but  delayed  working  until  Monday.  A  few  of  the 
miners  pursued  their  avocation  on  the  Sunday,  but  the  majority  de 
voted  the  day  to  rest — smoking  and  sleeping  in  the  shade  alter 
nately.  I  walked  through  the  washings,  and  heard  that  many 
of  the  miners  had  been  taken  ill  with  intermittent  fever,  a  cir 
cumstance  which  did  not  astonish  me.  Bad  diet,  daily  exposure 
to  the  sun  while  it  is  at  its  greatest  height,  followed  by  an  expo 
sure  to  the  cold  damp  air  at  night  time — these  conjoined  were 
quite  sufficient  to  bring  on  the  most  severe  illness.  On  my  re 
turn  to  the  tent  I  looked  over  our  little  stock  of  medicine,  which 
I  foresaw  I  should  soon  be  required  to  use. 

On  Monday  we  commenced  operations  in  the  old  style — dig 
ging,  fetching  water,  and  rocking  the  cradle.  The  sun  came 
blazing  down  with  great  power,  causing  headaches  to  most  of 
the  party,  particularly  Malcolm,  who  complained  much.  The 
day's  taking  was  very  good ;  we  having  realized  nine  ounces 
with  one  machine,  and  seven  and  a  half  with  the  other.  At 
night,  as  Malcolm  still  continued  to  complain  of  his  head,  and 
as  there  was  evidently  a  good  deal  of  low  fever  about  him,  I 
gave  him  a  dose  of  calomel  and  a  febrifuge  mixture,  which  by 
the  morning  produced  a  good  deal  of  relief. 

Bradley  made  his  appearance  during  the  forenoon,  after  a  fa 
tiguing  ride  from  Suiter's  Fort.  He  had  seen  the  Captain,  had 
delivered  the  gold,  and  settled  the  transaction.  We  were  hard  at 
work  the  whole  of  to-day.  In  the  evening  a  man  came  crawling 
into  the  tent  to  know  if  we  had  any  medicines  we  would  sell. 
I  told  him  I  was  a  doctor,  and  asked  him  what  was  the  matter. 
He  had  been  suffering  from  a  remittent  fever  of  a  low  typhoid 
type.  I  gave  him  bark,  and  told  him  he  must  lay  up  and  take 
care  of  himself.  He  said  he  would ;  but  next  day,  during  the  in 
tervals  of  fever,  I  saw  him  working  away  with  his  pan.  The 
news  of  there  being  a  doctor  in  the  camp  soon  spread,  and  I  am 
now  being  continually  called  on  to  prescribe  for  a  large  number 
of  patients.  An  ounce  of  gold  is  the  fee  generally  given  me. 
This  sort  of  work  is  as  much  more  profitable  as  it  is  less  labori- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  57 

ous  than  working  at  the  cradle.  But  the  great  drawback  is  that 
one  has  to  dp  something  else  beyond  advising.  People  require 
physicking,  and  as  I  cannot  submit  to  be  deprived  of  the  little 
stock  of  medicine  I  had  brought  with  me  in  case  of  my  own 
friends  having  occasion  for  it,  I  am  obliged  to  give  over  practis 
ing  in  those  cases  where  medicine  is  absolutely  necessary. 

The  native  Californians,  both  Indians  and  whites,  have  an 
universal  remedy  for  febrile  affections,  and  indeed  for  sickness  of 
almost  any  kind ;  this  is  the  temascal,  a  sort  of  hot  air-bath,  sha 
ped  not  unlike  a  sentry-box,  and  built  of  wicker-work,  and  after 
wards  plastered  with  mud  until  it  becomes  air-tight.  There  is 
one  of  these  machines  at  the  Weber  Creek  washings,  which  has 
been  rim  up  by  the  Indians  during  the  last  few  days.  One  of 
them  used  it  for  the  first  time  this  afternoon,  and  to  my  surprise 
is  still  alive.  After  a  great  fire  had  been  made  up  close  to  the 
door — a  narrow  aperture  just  large  enough  for  a  little  man  to 
squeeze  through — it  was  afterwards  gradually  allowed  to  burn 
itself  out,  having  in  the  meantime  heated  to  a  very  high  degree 
the  air  in  the  interior  of  the  bath.  Into  this  the  Indian  screwed 
himself,  and  there  remained  until  a  profuse  perspiration  was  pro 
duced,  which  he  checked  forthwith  by  a  plunge  into  the  chilly 
water  of  the  river.  Here  he  floundered  about  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  crawled  out  and  lay  down  exhausted  on  the  ground. 

The  atmosphere  continues  exceedingly  sultry,  and  the  miners 
who  work  by  the  river,  out  of  the  shade,  have  in  several  instan 
ces  sunk  exhausted  under  the  toil.  Dysentery,  produced  proba 
bly  by  unwholesome  food,  has  also  begun  to  show  itself,  and  al 
together  the  aspect  of  things  is  any  thing  but  cheerful. 

July  1 5th,  Saturday. — We  have  engaged  a  large  party  of  In 
dians  to  work  for  us  in  the  ravines.  They  belong  to  the  Snake 
tribe,  and  appear  to  be  a  poor  set  of  half-starved  wretches.  We 
pay  them  in  provisions,  and  occasionally  drams  of  pisco — a  spirit 
made  from  Californian  grapes. 

On  visiting  the  encampment  of  our  Indians,  last  night  after 
work  was  over,  I  found  about  a  dozen  of  them  eagerly  engaged 
gambling  away — the  stake,  in  some  instances,  being  the  supper 
which  had  just  been  served  out  to  them — with  an  ardor  equal  to 
that  of  the  most  civilized  gamesters.  So  far  as  I  could  make  out, 
the  game  had  some  analogy  to  our  "  thimble-rigging ; "  but  ap 
peared  to  be  fairly  played.  A  small  ball  was  passed  by  three  of 
the  Indians  from  hand  to  hand,  with  such  rapid  dexterity,  that  no 
eye  could  keep  pace  with  their  movements ;  three  others  watch 
ed  it  with  peculiar  eagerness.  Every  now  and  then  the  latter 
made  a  correct  guess,  and  one  was  scored  in  their  favor — if  wrong, 
a  mark  was  scored  against  them.  The  Indians  are  in  general 
strongly  addicted  to  games  of  chance,  and  they  sometimes  gam 
ble  away  all  the  clothes  on  their  backs.  I  heard  of  an  instance 
which  occurred  near  the  saw-mills,  of  an  Indian  who,  after  hav- 


sjg  POUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

ing  lost  every  article  of  clothing  he  had,  one  after  the  other,  to  his 
more  fortunate  antagonist,  staked  his  labor  for  a  week  against  the 
cotton  shirt  which  he  had  lost  only  a  few  minutes  before.  He  had 
a  run  of  bad  luck,  and  when  he  left  off,  had  to  work  for  six  weeks 
at  gold-washing,  for  his  antagonist,  who  fed  him  on  nothing  bet 
ter  than  acorn  bread.  Mr.  Neligh,  who  told  me  of  this  circum 
stance,  had  seen  the  man  at  work  duly  fulfilling  his  engagement, 

The  sickness  amongst  the  miners  continues  to  increase,  and 
in  our  own  party  Lacosse  has  been  laid  up  for  two  days  with  fe 
ver  ;  however,  I  think  he  is  now  doing  well.  The  climate  does 
not  appear  to  be  unhealthy.  It  is  the  exposure  to  the  work  which 
does  the  mischief.  There  is  some  talk  afloat  among  our  party  of 
removing  further  up  the  country,  nearer  to  the  mountains,  where 
gold  is  said  to  be  in  greater  abundance.  Yesterday,  a  large  par 
ty — many  of  them  Mormons — started  for  the  Bear  River,  a  small 
stream  which  runs  into  the  Sacramento,  and  is  said  to  be  about 
fifty  miles  distant,  due  north  from  where  we  are  encamped. 

The  Indians  at  work  here  have  caused  the  price  of  pisco  and 
whisky  to  rise  to  a  most  exorbitantly  high  rate.  They  content 
themselves  with  feasting  on  the  bitter  acorn  bread,  and  spend  all 
their  earnings  on  "  strong  water"  and  a  little  finery.  Sometimes 
a  party  of  them,  when  intoxicated,  will  get  up  one  of  their  wild 
dances,  when  the  stamping  and  yelling  are  of  a  far  more  fearful 
character  than  is  generally  the  case  at  these  singular  exhibitions. 
The  dance  begins  generally  with  a  rude  song,  the  words  being 
of  the  usual  harsh  guttural  character,  but  the  ideas  are  generally 
striking  and  peculiar.  One  has  been  explained  to  me  which  re 
cites  the  praises  of  the  "  yellow  earth,"  because  it  will  procure 
the  Shoshonee  the  fleet  rifle  with  which  he  can  slay  his  Pawnee 
foe.  It  says  nothing,  however,  about  the  "  strong  water,"  which 
renders  the  arm  of  the  war-chief  weaker  than  that  of  a  child  ; 
for,  with  all  their  vices,  there  is  still  that  pride  about  the  Indian 
character  which  makes  them  ashamed  of  those  weaknesses  they 
are  unable  to  resist. 

Frequently,  while  the  Indian  warriors  repose  from  their  exer 
tions,  after  the  termination  of  one  of  these  wild  dances,  the  wo 
men  of  the  tribe  will  occupy  their  place ;  but  in  general  their 
postures  and  movements  are  indelicate  in  the  extreme.  But  mo 
desty  is  hardly  to  be  looked  for  in  the  amusements  of  savage  life. 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  59 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Monday^  July  2Ath. — We  have  determined  to  start  for  the 
Bear  River.  We  worked  hard  last  week,  but  suffered  greatly 
from  the  heat;  almost  every  man  of  ns  complains  of  feverish 
symptoms,  with  pains  in  the  limbs,  back  and  loins,  yet  we  are 
better  than  the  majority  of  the  miners.  These  washings  have 
now  become  nearly  as  crowded  as  the  Mormon  diggings  were 
when  we  left  them,  and  immense  sums  have  been  made  by  some  of 
the  luckier  adventurers  amongst  the  ravines.  The  whole  valley  is 
dotted  over  with  tents  and  green  bush  arbors,  and  there  is  hardly 
a  water  course  but  which  is  sprinkled  with  miners  digging,  sift 
ing,  and  washing.  About  half  of  the  people  work  together  in 
companies — the  other  half  shift  each  for  himself.  There  are 
hundreds  of  Indians,  many  of  them  fantastically  dressed,  for  they 
can  purchase  fine  clothing  now,  even  at  the  extravagant  rates  at 
which  all  articles  are  charged  at  Weber's  store.  They  labor  one 
day,  and  get  drunk  on  pisco  or  the  "  strong  water"  on  another. 
One  of  them  rolled  down  a  rocky  ravine  lately,  in  an  intoxicated 
state,  and  was  killed. 

As  we  were  lying  down  in  the  shade  of  the  tent  yesterday, 
we  were  visited  by  an  old  trapper  called  Joe  White.  He  had 
recognized  Bradley  and  Don  Luis,  whom  he  had  met  on  the 
coas^  and  we  invited  him  to  take  coffee  with  us.  Joe  White  had 
come  into  this  part  of  the  country  with  Captain  Sutter,  whom  he 
spoke  very  highly  of,  and  of  whose  early  efforts  to  form  a  settle 
ment  he  gave  us  an  account.  Their  party  was  the  very  first  of 
the  white  settlers  in  the  wilderness.  They  lived  some  time  in  a 
camp  formed  of  the  tented  wagons  they  had  brought  with  them, 
until  they  could  run  up  a  few  rough  shanties,  and  some  protect 
ing  outworks.  During  the  time  they  were  constructing  these, 
and  indeed  for  some  months  afterwards,  they  were  dreadfully 
harassed  by  the  Indians,  who  made  onslaughts  on  their  cattle, 
carried  away,  killed,  and  eat  both  horses  and  oxen.  The  Indians 
are  by  no  means  particular.  One  night,  after  the  party  had  been 
lulled  into  a  sense  of  security  by  the  apparent  friendly  disposition 
of  the  Indians,  who  occasionally  came  into  their  camp,  and  no 
watch  was  being  kept,  upwards  of  a  score  of  horses  and  mules 
were  driven  off;  the  loss  of  which  Suiter's  people  knew  nothing 
of  until  they  woke  up  in  the  morning  and  found  the  ropes  all  cut. 
They  started  off  at  once  on  the  trail,  and  soon  found  that  it  led 
to  an  Indian  rancheria  about  eight  miles  up  the  Sacramento. 
This  rancheria  was,  they  believed,  the  refuge  of  the  "  Ingin  var 
mints,"  as  Joe  White  styled  them,  from  whose  depredations  they 
were  constantly  suffering.  Captain  Sutter  determined  to  take 


60 


FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 


signal  revenge.  They  returned  to  the  Fort  that  day,  but  next 
morning  started  off  in  a  strong  party,  each  man  armed  with  his 
never-failing  rifle  and  big  bowie  knife,  and  taking  with  them  a 
howitzer  which  the  Captain  had  brought  with  him  over  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  Indians  must,  however,  have  had  infor 
mation  by  their  scouts  of  the  expedition  ;  for  when  the  party 
reached  the  rancheria  they  found  it  deserted — not  even  a  solitary 
squaw  left  among  the  huddled-up  collection  of  huts.  Determined 
not  to  be  foiled,  the  party  set  to  work  to  demolish  the  village. 
The  construction  of  the  Indian  houses  rendered  this  an  easy  task, 
but  to  complete  it  fire  was  requisite.  No  sooner  had  the  smoke 
risen  from  the  kindling  wood,  than  their  ears  were  saluted  with 
a  dismal  yell  from  a  little  densely  wooded  island  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards  up  the  stream.  Starting  out  in  all  directions  from 
the  high  grass  and  underwood,  appeared  a  crowd  of  squaws  with 
their  children,  who  gave  whoop  after  whoop,  and,  brandishing 
boughs  of  trees,  imprecated  curses  upon  the  destroyers  of  their 
rancheria. 

Captain  Sutter  and  his  party  of  trappers  were  somewhat  startled 
at  this  proceeding,  and  the  question  immediately  occurred  to  them 
as  to  where  the  men  could  be.  The  party  pushed  their  way 
homewards  as  fast  as  possible,  leaving  the  rancheria  burning  and 
the  squaws  and  children  still  yelling  and  whooping  on  the  island. 
It  was  as  they  expected.  On  coming  within  two  miles  of  the 
Fort,  they  heard  the  crack  upon  crack  of  distant  rifles.  Putting 
their  horses  to  the  gallop,  they  arrived  just  in  time  to  see  the 
Indians  totally  routed,  and  scampering  away  as  fast  as  their 
horses  would  carry  them  into  the  woods. 

After  this  double  defeat,  the  tribes  seem  to  have  given  up  all 
idea  of  prosecuting  a  war  against  their  new  neighbors,  and,  gra 
dually  relinquishing  their  thievish  habits,  settled  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  the  Fort — sometimes  hunting  and  trapping  for  the  pale 
faces,  and  at  others  laboring  away  at  ditching  and  brick-making, 
being  paid  chiefly  in  articles  of  clothing  and  small  allowances  of 
pisco.  The  trapper  told  us  that  Captain  Sutter  has  now  a  tin 
coin  in  circulation,  stamped  with  his  name,  and  good  for  a  cer 
tain  amount  of  merchandise  at  the  Fort. 

After  listening  to  a  few  more  wonderful  adventures  of  this 
sort,  Bradley  turned  the  conversation  upon  the  country  about 
Bear  River.  The  trapper  said  he  knew  it  well,  and  heard  that 
there  was  plenty  of  gold  there.  He  asked  him  if  he  would  un 
dertake  to- guide  us  thither,  and,  after  some  bargaining,  he  con 
sented.  The  sum  he  was  to  have  was  sixty-five  dollars  and  his 
food.  Considering  the  high  rates  of  all  things  here,  this  was  a 
low  figure  enough,  but  the  old  trapper  candidly  told  us  that  he 
was  sick  and  tired  of  paddling  about  in  the  water  washing  for 
gold,  and  that  he  would  prefer  a  few  days'  jaunt  in  the  wilder 
ness.  The  climate  was  much  cooler  further  to  the  north,  he  in- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  61 

formed  us,  and  comparatively  few  miners  had  penetrated  to  the 
Bear  Valley.  We  had  a  long  debate  upon  the  matter,  and  ulti 
mately  it  was  determined  to  start  the  day  after  to-morrow  (Wed 
nesday.) 

July  25th,  Tuesday. — This  day  has  been  devoted  to  prepara 
tions  for  our  journey.  Our  stock  of  provisions,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  breadstuff's,  is  quite  exhausted.  We  have  had,  there 
fore,  to  lay  in  a  stock,  but  we  found  every  thing,  of  course,  in 
ordinately  dear;  so  we  have  contented  ourselves  with  buying  some 
bacon,  and  dried  beef,  and  coffee,  resolving  to  trust  to  our  rifles 
for  further  support,  there  being  plenty  of  game  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  the  Bear  Valley.  By  the  advice  of  Joe  White,  we  intend 
not  only  to  load  the  pack-horses  with  a  portion  of  our  stock  of 
provisions,  but  each  man  is  to  take  a  fortnight's  rations  for  him 
self.  The  pack-horses  will  carry  about  another  fortnight's 
supply.  We  should  have  preferred,  if  we  could  have  managed 
it,  to  dispatch  the  gold  we  have  amassed  since  Bradley's  mission 
to  Captain  Sutler,  down  to  the  Fort;  but,  after  some  deliberation, 
we  have  resolved  not  to  risk  its  transit  without  an  escort,  and, 
accordingly,  have  agreed  to  load  one  horse,  the  most  sure-footed 
of  the  lot,  with  the  valuable  burden,  and  to  attach  its  trail-ropes 
to  the  horses  ridden  by  ourselves  in  turn. 

This  evening  three  men,  hearing  of  our  intended  expedition, 
offered  to  join  the  party.  These  were  Edward  Story,  an  Ameri 
can  lawyer  who  had  been  one  of  the  inferior  alcaldes  during  the 
Spanish  regime  at  Monterey ;  John  Dowling,  first  mate,  and 
Samuel  Bradshaw,  the  carpenter,  of  an  American  whaling  ship 
which  they  had  left  at  San  Francisco.  The  lawyer  was  an  intel 
ligent  person,  conversant  with  the  language  of  several  of  the 
tribes — the  mate  seemed  to  have  his  wits  about  him,  and  the  car 
penter  would  obviously  be  a  great  acquisition,  particularly  as  we 
were  now  about  to  plunge  even  beyond  the  furthest  outposts  of 
civilization,  where,  in  all  probability,  we  may  have  to  secure  our 
selves  against  attacks  from  the  Indians  without  the  possibility  of 
any  help  beyond  that  which  we  could  render  to  each  other.  We 
were  rather  pleased  with  their  offer,  and  received  them  as  an 
addition  to  our  party.  All  three  had  horses,  although,  as  usual 
with  seamen,  the  mate  and  carpenter  were  terribly  awkward 
equestrians. 

Wednesday,  July  26th. — This  day  we  struck  our  camp  before 
sunrise,  and  had  the  horses  securely  packed  and  all  in  motion  in 
the  early  cool  of  the  morning.  The  march  was  a  fatiguing  one  ; 
the  country  appearing  to  be  a  succession  of  woody  bottoms,  or 
valleys  and  steep  rocky  ridges,  which  tried  the  mettle  of  our  loaded 
horses  severely.  From  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills  more  eleva 
ted  than  the  rest  we  obtained  a  distant  view  of  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento.  Our  general  course  was  north  north-west.  The 
trapper,  who  proved  an  able  guide,  varied  the  direction  from  time 
5 


02  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

to  time  so  as  to  lead  us  through  the  easiest  paths,  taking  care  to 
steer  clear  of  the  deep  canons  that  split  up  the  hills  in  every 
direction.  We  dined  at  noon  as  usual,  and  that  very  well,  on 
some  hare  soup  made  from  a  couple  of  hares  which  we  had  shot 
during  the  morning,  and  some  dried  beef.  The  signs  of  deer  were 
very  frequent.  After  mounting  and  descending  a  very  precipitous 
and  rocky  ridge,  we  encamped  near  some  waterfalls  in  a  wide 
open  valley.  The  night  was  somewhat  cold,  and  we  enjoyed  a 
blazing  fire  of  pine  sticks,  which  we  cut  from  the  dried  trees  in 
the  vicinity. 

Friday,  July  28th. — Yesterday  morning  dawned  clear  and 
rather  coolish.  In  the  forenoon  we  crossed  the  north  fork  of  the 
Americanos,  which  was  here  but  a  trifling  stream.  The  general 
character  of  the  country  was  becoming  more  and  more  mountain 
ous  and  difficult  to  traverse,  and  we  found  the  labor  of  the  journey 
sufficiently  severe.  A  great  number  of  water-courses  crossed  our 
path,  but  the  channels  were  quite  dry,  the  stones  and  shingle 
white  and  bleaching  in  the  sun.  An  unfortunate  accident  occur 
red  during  the  afternoon's  march  to  one  of  the  pack-horses,  which 
stumbled  over  a  heap  of  rough  stones  in  clambering  up  from  the 
bed  of  a  torrent,  and  broke  its  leg.  We  had  to  shoot  the  poor 
animal  to  put  it  out  of  pain.  Its  burden  was  equally  distributed 
between  its  more  fortunate  fellows.  We  encamped  amongst  rocks, 
and  had  a  poor  supper  of  flour  cakes  and  bacon  scraps.  During 
the  night  Don  Luis  was  attacked  with  aguish  symptoms.  I 
prescribed  bark,  which  appeared  to  relieve  him. 

To-day  our  horses  were  quickly  saddled  and  packed,  and  we 
started  off  in  the  faint  gray  of  the  morning.  It  was  chilly,  but 
the  sky  was  beautifully  clear.  When  the  sun  had  fairly  risenr 
however,  we  had  no  more  cold  to  complain  of.  The  way  was 
exceedingly  difficult.  We  toiled  along  precipitous  ravines  and 
gullies,  and  climbed  up  steep  and  rocky  ridges,  which  cut  and 
Avounded  the  feet  of  the  horses,  and  rendered  our  progress  very 
slow.  The  timber  we  passed  was  principally  pine  trees,  with 
sharp  pointed  leaves  and  large  cones,  and  occasionally  we  came 
upon  a  grove  of  evergreen  oaks,  more  stunted  in  shape  than  was 
the  case  in  the  lower  regions.  About  mid-day  we  passed  the 
source  of  the  Rio  de  las  Plumas,  or  Feather  River,  and  after  a 
most  severe  and  in  some  respects  forced  march  climbed  the  last 
rocky  ridge  which  separated  us  from  the  Bear  Valley.  The  sun 
was  near  its  setting  as  we  pushed  down  the  mountain  slopes  to 
wards  the  river.  We  found  it  a  small  stream  flowing  swiftly 
over  a  shingly  bed  to  the  westward,  and  encamped  within  hear 
ing  of  its  murmur,  well  pleased  to  have  performed  our  toilsome 
journey. 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Sunday,  July  30th. — We  rested  somewhat  late  on  Saturday 
morning  to  make  up  for  the  fatigues  of  the  journey  from  Weber's 
Creek.  On  surveying  the  country  we  found  ourselves  in  a  per 
fect  solitude.  Not  an  Indian,  far  less  a  white  man,  was  to  be 
seen.  The  fertile  valley  of  the  Bear  River — with  its  luxuriant 
grass,  in  which  nestled  coveys  of  the  California  quail — seemed 
almost  untrodden  by  human  foot,  and  sloped  in  great  beauty  be 
tween  the  ridges  of  rocky  hills  and  peaks  of  granite,  with  dark 
ravines  and  canons  between,  which  hemmed  it  in.  Our  first 
care  was  of  course  to  try  the  capabilities  of  the  country  in  the 
way  of  gold,  We  therefore  separated  ourselves,  and  sought  dif 
ferent  points  of  the  channel  of  the  stream,  and  different  chasms, 
which  in  the  winter  time  conducted  the  mountain  torrents  into  it. 
To  our  great  astonishment  and  disappointment,  one  by  one 
we  returned  into  the  camp  with  news  of  our  non-success.  By 
the  old  trapper's  advice,  an  exploring  party  was  dispatched  to  fol 
low  up  the  stream  towards  its  head.  They  travelled  the  distance 
of  some  ten  or  twelve  miles,  crossing  some  of  the  more  impor 
tant  tributaries  of  the  main  river,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to 
strike  upon  a  spot  where  a  slight  examination  was  sufficient  to 
prove  that  the  gold  existed  in  great  abundance  in  the  sand  and 
shingles,  and  imbedded  in  flakes  amid  the  rocks.  To-day  we 
have  moved  the  camp  to  this  spot ;  and,  as  we  are  now  beyond 
the  reach  of  aid  from  white  men,  and  have  begun  to  feel  that 
we  must  be  (for  some  time  at  least)  a  self-supporting  party, 
our  first  thoughts  are  turned  towards  making  arrangements 
for  obtaining  a  supply  of  food,  and  for  insuring  our  secu 
rity.  Bradley,  Joe  White,  and  Jose,  are  to  be  our  hunters ; 
Malcolm,  Lacosse,  and  M'Phail,  are  to  set  to  work  to-morrow 
to  make  a  couple  of  cradles,  the  carpenter  giving  them  an 
occasional  helping  hand,  but  occupying  himself  principally  in 
superintending  the  construction  of  a  large  shanty,  sufficient  to 
accommodate  the  whole  party,  with  a  rough  fortification  around, 
composed  of  pine  logs  and  palisades,  pointed  at  the  top,  sufficient 
to  inclose  a  space  of  ground  into  which  the  horses  could  be 
driven  at  night,  out  of  the  way  of  any  outlying  Indian  who 
might  be  thievishly  inclined.  We  calculate  that  the  construction 
of  the  shanty,  with  its  appurtenances,  will  occupy  at  least  a  week 
— in  all  probability,  much  longer.  Malcolm,  M'Phail,  and  La 
cosse,  are  to  join  us  in  our  labors  as  soon  as  they  have  finished 
the  cradles.  The  hunters  had  good  luck  to-day,  and  came  in 
with  a  couple  of  fat  bucks.  The  trapper  had  also  snared  a  num 
ber  of  quails,  so  that  our  table  was  nobly  furnished.  Our  dinner, 
also,  included  a  dessert  of  fruit  similar  to  apples  in  taste,  but  not 


54  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

larger  than  well-grown  gooseberries.    These  had  been  gathered 
and  brought  in  by  the  trapper. 

Sunday,  August  6th. — I  have  felt  very  low-spirited  these  last 
few  days.  One's  thoughts  have  turned  towards  home,  and  an 
indescribable  sensation  of  melancholy  has  been  weighing  me 
down,  which  at  last  my  companions  have  begun  to  take  notice  of. 
This  evening,  just  as  the  remainder  of  the  party  contemplated 
turning  in  for  the  night,  I  pulled  out  my  note-book,  and  began 
writing  beside  the  camp-fire. 

"  i  No  puede  Vm.  dormir  ?"  said  Don  Luis  to  me,  as  he  moved 
away  towards  the  tent. 

"  No  Senor,"  replied  I,  "  Pienso  a  la  veja  Ingleterra ;  a  mi 
Hermano  y  a  mis  amigos." 

"  For  ventura  a  una  amiguita,"  observed  Don  Luis. 

I  laughed,  and  answering,  "  Es  possible,  Senor,"  went  on 
writing. 

We  are  now  regularly  settled  on  the  Bear  River,  and  have, 
as  yet,  seen  no  signs  of  human  life  around  us.  The  reports,  there 
fore,  which  we  heard  at  Weber's  Creek  of  the  gold-finders  hav 
ing  penetrated  into  this  valley,  would  appear  to  have  been  without 
foundation.  We  have  observed  a  fresh-made  trail,  which  the 
old  trapper  seems  to  consider  passes  in  the  direction  of  the  Truc- 
kee  Lake ;  and  we  have  noticed  the  remains  of  several  camp-fires 
at  different  parts  of  the  valley.  In  all  probability,  this  trail  has 
been  made  by  the  Mormon  emigrants,  who  are  reported  to  have 
gone  on  a  gold  hunting  expedition  across  the  salt  desert  to  the 
shores  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  a  distance  of  seven  or  eight  hun 
dred  miles.  The  old  trapper  had  some  wonderful  stories  to  tell 
about  the  dangers  of  the  journey  across  the  Salt  Plain.  How 
that  a  man  has  to  travel,  from  the  first  faint  of  gray  light  in  the 
morning,  as  hard  as  his  horse  will  carry  him,  over  a  desert  of 
white  salt — which  crunches  and  crumbles  beneath  his  horse's 
tread  at  every  step  he  takes — until  the  sun  has  gone  down  behind 
the  tall  peaks  of  the  distant  Sierra  Nevada.  No  water  but  of 
the  most  brackish  kind  can  be  procured  to  refresh  either  horse  or 
rider  through  the  whole  of  this  weary  route,  while  their  lips  are 
parched  with  thirst,  and  their  eyes  and  nostrils  become  choked 
from  the  effects  of  the  saline  exhalations  rising  up  on  all  sides 
from  the  desert  over  which  they  are  passing.  And  as  for  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  the  desolate  shores  of  this  inland  sea  have  been, 
for  the  most  part,  carefully  avoided  by  both  Indians  and  trappers, 
and  no  living  being  has  yet  been  found  daring  enough  to  venture 
far  on  the  bosom  of  its  dark  turbid  waters ;  for  a  belief  exists  that 
a  terrible  whirlpool  agitates  their  surface,  ready  to  swallow  up 
every  thing  that  may  venture  within  the  bounds  of  its  dangerous 
influence. 

Our  cradles  were  finished  on  Monday,  and  the  shanty  on  Sa 
turday  afternoon.  It  includes  a  sort  of  outhouse  for  cooking,  and 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA,  (J5 

the  rude  palisades  around  are  quite  sufficient  protection  for  the 
horses  against  any  attempts  the  Indians  are  likely  to  make  to 
drive  them  off.  As  soon  as  our  building  labors  were  over  yester 
day,  we  set  to  work  digging  and  washing,  and  were  very  success 
ful.  The  country  about  here  is  of  course  much  more  rugged 
than  in  the  lower  diggings.  Grass  is  plentiful  in  the  valley,  but 
the  rocky  heights  are  covered  with  a  stinted  vegetation,  offering 
no  food  to  our  horses.  The  soil,  mineralogically  considered,  does 
not  seem  to  vary  materially  from  that  in  the  neighborhood"  of 
Weber's  Creek.  If  any  thing,  it  is  more  impregnated  with  gold. 
On  Friday,  Don  Luis  discovered  a  large  rough  lump  in  a  canon 
about  a  mile  from  the  shanty ;  and  the  next  evening  a  similar 
lump,  though  rather  smaller,  was  picked  up  by  Bradley  in  one  of 
his  hunting  excursions. 

August  8th. — We  have  engaged  the  services  of  our  friend  the 
trapper  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  a-week,  with  an  allowance  of 
whisky  twice  a-day.  He  will  hunt  for  us,  but  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  gold  digging  and  washing.  He  has  a  tolerable  con 
tempt  for  dollars,  or  else  he  would  have  demanded  higher  wages. 
A  man  who  has  spent  nearly  all  his  life  in  the  wilderness,  who 
has  known  no  wants  but  such  as  his  rifle  could  quickly  supply, 
may,  however,  well  look  with  contempt  on  the  "  root  of  all  evil." 
If  he  were  hungry,  a  shot  at  some  panting  elk  or  bellowing 
buffalo  would  stock  him  with  food  for  weeks  to  come.  If  he  were 
athirst,  the  clear  water  of  some  sparkling  rivulet  would  yield 
him  all  that  he  would  require.  The  hide  of  the  bear  or  of  the 
buffalo  would  serve  to  clothe  him  and  to  shelter  him  from  the 
sharp  night  frosts ;  while  a  score  of  beaver  skins  would  purchase 
him  ammunition  more  than  sufficient  to  last  him  all  the  year 
round.  What,  then,  should  he  want  with  gold  ? 

Yesterday,  while  we  were  at  dinner,  we  were  surprised  by  see 
ing  a  party  of  Indians  approaching  the  camp  from  the  direction 
of  Truckee  Lake.  They  appeared  not  to  have  any  hostile  inten 
tions,  so  we  quietly  awaited  their  approach.  The  foremost  chief 
held  before  him  a  long  stick,  with  a  bunch  of  white  feathers 
dangling  at  the  end.  Story  explained  to  us  that  this  was  a  friend 
ly  sign,  and  said  we  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  party.  NAs  they 
approached  nearer  towards  us,  they  commenced  dancing  and 
singing,  and  we  could  soon  perceive  that  very  few  among  them 
were  armed,  and  that  altogether  their  appearance  was  any  thing 
but  warlike  and  imposing. 

Story  went  out  to  meet  them,  and  shook  hands  with  the  few 
foremost  chiefs.  When  they  reached  the  shanty,  before  the  door 
of  which  we  were  seated,  the  chiefs  gathered  on  the  right-hand 
side  of  us,  and  squatted  themselves  down  upon  the  ground,  when 
the  pipe  of  peace  was  immediately  produced  by  a  veteran  chief, 
and  handed  round.  I  took  a  few  whiffs  with  the  rest,  and  then 
we  learnt  from  our  visitors  that  they  were  anxious  to  engage  in  a 


66  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

trade.  All  that  they  had,  however,  were  some  few  esculent  roots 
and  several  bags  of  pine-nuts.  These  last  they  roast  and  eat,  but 
the  taste  is  far  from  pleasant.  In  exchange  for  them  they  wanted 
some  charges  of  powder  and  ball.  Three  of  them,  I  noticed, 
possessed  old  Spanish  muskets,  of  which  they  seemed  particular 
ly  proud  ;  they  held  them  in  the  usual  cautious  Indian  style,  with 
the  butt-end  clutched  in  the  right  hand,  and  the  barrel  resting  on 
the  left  arm.  A  few  of  the  others  had  bows  and  arrows  slung 
across  their  backs.  We  pleaded  shortness  of  ammunition  as  our 
excuse  for  declining  the  trade.  Our  provisions  being  run  low 
made  it  impossible  for  us  to  offer  them  any  thing  to  eat,  so  we 
gave  them  a  few  blankets,  which  we  could  well  spare,  by  way  of 
keeping  ourselves  in  their  good  graces  ;  as,  according  to  Story, 
they  would  have  considered  it  a  great  affront  if  we  had  neglected 
to  make  them  any  presents. 

The  Indians  remained  and  encamped  outside  our  fort  last 
night,  and  this  morning  the  greater  part  took  their  departure. 
The  guard  last  night  had  orders  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out,  as  we 
thought  that  our  friends,  even  though  they  had  no  hostile  inten 
tions  towards  us,  might  still  take  a  strong  liking  to  some  of  our 
horses ;  but  nothing  of  a  suspicious  character  occurred.  Five 
young  men  of  the  tribe  also  have  stopt  behind,  who  wish  to  con 
tinue  with  us  and  work  for  us,  but  the  low  state  of  our  commis 
sariat  renders  it  desirable  not  to  accept  their  offer,  unless  our  hun 
ters  return  to-day  with  a  good  stock  of  provisions. 

August  13th.  Our  hunters  have  been  very  successful  these 
last  few  days.  We  have  a  large  stock  of  elk  meat,  which  we  in 
tend  drying  after  the  Indian  fashion.  On  Friday,  while  Don  Luis 
and  the  trapper  were  out  together,  they  were  surprised  by  the  sight 
of  a  huge  bear  right  before  them,  slowly  walking  up  towards 
them.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  within  about  a  hundred  paces  he 
squatted  down  upon  his  haunches  for  a  few  moments ;  but,  as 
they  got  nearer  to  him,  and  just  as  they  were  preparing  to  give 
him  a  greeting  in  the  shape  of  a  couple  of  balls  through  his  head, 
he  rose  up  and  scampered  off.  They  fired,  but  without  success, 
and  the  brute  plunged  into  a  dense  thicket;  after  which  they  saw 
nothing  more  of  him. 

Our  Indians,  after  stopping  with  us  a  couple  of  days,  during 
which  period  we  compelled  them  to  encamp  at  night-time  outside 
the  fort,  took  their  departure  early  on  Friday  morning,  or  else 
during  the  night  of  Thursday,  unperceived  by  our  sentinels. 
They,  however,  took  nothing  with  them  belonging  to  our  party, 
except  a  couple  of  blankets  we  had  lent  to  the  two  principal  men. 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  57 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

August  2(Wi,  Sunday. — The  past  week  has  been  in  many  re 
spects  an  eventful  one.  On  Friday,  while  several  of  us  were  ramb 
ling  about  the  neighborhood  of  the  camp,  exploring  the  nume 
rous  mountain  canons  which  lie  between  us  and  the  Sierra  Ne 
vada,  we  found,  among  the  loose  particles  of  rock  which  had 
crumbled  away  from  the  sides  of  the  ravine  and  fallen  to  the  bot 
tom,  several  lumps  of  gold  of  a  much  larger  size  than  any  we  had 
before  met  with.  This  induced  us  to  examine  the  upper  part  of 
the  ravine,  where  promising  traces  of  gold  were  readily  detected ; 
further  examination  convinced  us  that  the  precious  metal  existed 
here  in  far  greater  quantities  than  in  the  locality  where  we  had 
been  at  work  for  several  weeks  previous ;  and  we  were,  more 
over,  satisfied  that  it  was  to  be  obtained  with  much  less  difficulty. 
As  being  found  in  solid  lumps,  the  unpleasant  labor  of  washing 
was  dispensed  with.  We  therefore  determined,  on  the  following 
morning,  to  remove  all  our  implements  to  this  spot,  the  only  dis 
advantage  of  which  was  its  being  situated  rather  far  off  from  our 
place  of  encampment. 

Since  our  friends,  the  Indians,  had  quitted  us,  we  had  always 
left  some  one  or  other  on  guard  at  the  shanty,  to  keep  watch  over 
our  horses  and  baggage,  both  during  the  day  time  and  at  night ; 
for  we  knew  that  some  of  them  were  continually  prowling  about, 
our  horses  having  frequently  shown  signs  of  uneasiness  in  the 
night  time.  During  the  day  there  was  generally  one  member  of 
the  party  who  remained  at  the  shanty,  having  either  Jose  or  the 
lad  Horry  in  company. 

The  ravine  we  proposed  moving  to  was  nearly  half-a-mile  dis 
tant.  After  breakfast,  Bradley,  Lacosse,  and  M'Phail,  accom 
panied  by  the  old  trapper,  set  off  on  a  hunting  expedition,  for  our 
stock  of  provisions  was  now  getting  very  low,  leaving  Jose  and 
our  legal  friend  at  the  camp.  The  remainder  of  the  party,  in 
cluding  myself,  proceeded  to  the  ravine  with  our  implements,  and 
after  working  a  few  hours  we  succeeded  in  procuring  more  gold 
than  we  had  obtained  in  any  two  days  during  the  past  week. 
We  were  just  on  the  point  of  returning  to  the  camp  to  dinner  when 
Dowling,  who  was  standing  near  some  sage  bushes  at  the  upper 
part  of  the  ravine,  heard  a  rustling  among  them,  and  on  moving 
in  the  direction  of  the  noise  saw  an  Indian  stealthily  creeping 
along,  who,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  he  was  discovered,  discharged 
an  arrow,  which  just  missed  its  mark,  but  lacerated,  and  that  rather 
severely,  Bowling's  ear.  The  savage  immediately  set  up  a  most 
terrific  whoop,  and  ran  off,  but  tumbled  before  he  could  draw 
another  arrow  from  his  quiver,  while  Dowling,  rushing  forward, 


(jg  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

buried  his  mattock  in  the  head  of  his  fallen  foe,  killing  him  instan 
taneously. 

At  this  moment  we  heard  the  crack  of  a  rifle  in  the  direction 
of  the  camp,  which,  with  the  Indian's  whoop  at  the  same  mo 
ment,  completely  bewildered  us.  Every  man.  however,  seized 
his  rifle,  and  Bowling,  hastening  towards  us,  told  us  of  what  had 
just  occurred.  All  was  still  for  the  next  few  moments,  and  I 
mounted  a  little  hill  to  reconnoitre.  Suddenly  I  saw  a  troop  of 
Indians,  the  foremost  of  them  an  horseback,  approaching  at  full 
speed.  I  hastily  returned  to  my  companions,  and  we  sought 
shelter  in  a  little  dell,  determined  to  await  there,  and  resist  the 
attack,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  savages'  intentions  were  any 
thing  put  pacific. 

It  was  a  moment  of  breathless  excitement.  We  heard  the 
tramp,  tramp  of  the  horses  coming  on  towards  us,  but  as  yet 
they  and  their  riders  were  concealed  from  our  view.  I  confess  I 
trembled  violently,  not  exactly  with  fear,  although  I  expected 
that  a  few  moments  would  see  us  all  scalped  by  our  savage  as 
sailants.  It  was  the  suddenness  of  the  danger  which  startled 
me,  and  made  my  heart  throb  violently ;  but  at  that  moment, 
just  as  I  was  reproaching  myself  with  the  want  of  courage,  a  ter 
rific  yell  rung  through  the  air  at  a  short  distance  from  us,  and 
forty  or  fifty  warlike  Indians  appeared  in  sight.  My  whole 
frame  was  nerved  in  an  instant,  and  when  a  shower  of  arrows 
flew  amongst  us,  1  was  the  first  man  to  answer  it  with  a  rifle 
shot,  which  brought  one  of  the  foremost  Indians  off  his  horse  to 
the  ground.  I  instantly  reloaded,  but  in  the  meanwhile  the  rifles 
of  my  companions  had  been  doing  good  service.  We  had  taken 
up  our  position  behind  a  row  of  willow  trees  which  skirted  the 
banks  of  a  narrow  stream,  and  here  we  were  protected  in  a  great 
measure  from  the  arrows  of  our  assailants,  which  were  in  most 
cases  turned  aside  by  the  branches.  A  second  volley  of  rifle-shots 
soon  followed  the  first ;  and  while  we  were  reloading,  and  the 
smoke  had  slightly  cleared  away,  I  could  see  that  we  had  spread 
consternation  in  the  ranks  of  the  Indian  warriors,  and  that  they 
were  gathering  up  their  wounded  preparatory  to  retiring.  I  had 
my  eye  on  an  old  man,  who  had  just  leaped  from  his  horse.  My 
finger  was  on  the  trigger,  when  I  saw  him  coolly  advance,  and, 
taking  one  of  his  wounded  companions,  who  had  been  shot 
through  the  leg,  in  his  arms,  place  him  on  a  horse,  then  mount 
ing  his  own,  and  catching  hold  of  the  other  animal's  bridle,  gal 
lop  off  at  full  speed.  Although  I  knew  full  well  that  if  the  for 
tune  of  the  day  had  gone  against  us,  these  savages  would  not 
have  spared  a  single  man  of  our  party,  still  I  could  not  find  it  in 
my  heart  to  fire  on  the  old  chief,  and  he  carried  off  his  wounded 
comrade  in  safety. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  hill-sides  were  clear,  and  when  we 
emerged  from  our  shelter,  all  that  was  visible  of  the  troop  of  war- 


:    GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  59 

riors  was  three,  of  them  weltering  in  their  blood,  a  bow  or  two, 
and  some  empty  quivers,  and  a  few  scattered  feathers  and  toma 
hawks,  lying  on  the  ground.  One  by  one,  we  gradually  stole 
up  to  the  top  of  the  mound  from  whence  I  first  beheld  the  ap 
proach  of  the  enemy,  when,  finding  that  they  were  retreating  at 
full  speed  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  camp,  we  determined 
to  proceed  thither  at  once,  fully  prepared  to  find  both  Story  and 
Jose  murdered.  On  our  arrival,  however,  the  former  coolly  ad 
vanced  to  meet  us,  and,  in  answer  to  our  questions,  stated  that 
while  he  was  superintending  the  proper  browning  of  our  venison, 
and  Jose  was  filling  the  cans  with  water,  he  saw  several  of  our 
horses  scampering  off,  being  in  fact  driven  by  three  or  four  In 
dians  on  horseback.  "  So  quickly,"  said  he,  "  was  the  movement 
effected,  that  before  I  could  lay  hold  of  my  rifle  they  were  nearly 
beyond  range.  I  fired,  but  without  effect;  and  while  I  was 
looking  about,  I  suppose  in  rather  a  bewildered  manner,  a  party 
of  something  like  forty  Indians  ran  rapidly  past.  I  don't  know 
whether  they  saw  me  or  not,  but  I  was  by  no  means  anxious  to 
engage  their  attention,  and  was  glad  enough  when  the  last  passed 
out  of  sight.  I  went  in  search  of  Jose,  whom  I  found  in  the  river 
up  to  his  neck  in  water — a  position  which  he  thought  afforded 
the  safest  means  of  concealment,  as  he  knew  his  wild  brethren 
would  have  sacrificed  him,  and  perhaps  eaten  him  forthwith,  if 
they  had  chanced  to  discover  him." 

I  at  once  set  to  work  to  dress  Bowling's  ear,  and  a  wound 
which  Don  Luis  had  received  in  his  hand.  The  latter  was 
merely  a  scratch,  and  the  only  danger  likely  to  arise  from  it  was 
in  the  event  of  the  arrow  by  which  it  was  inflicted  having  been 
poisoned.  But  Don  Luis  felt  so  confident  that  it  was  not  the 
practice  among  the  tribes  about  here,  that  he  would  not  allow 
me  to  take  the  usual  precautions  against  such  a  contingency. 

Our  anxiety  was  now  turned  towards  the  party  who  were 
out  hunting,  and  we  anxiously  looked  for  their  appearance.  We 
had  been  so  upset  by  the  events  of  the  morning,  that  we  all  felt 
disinclined  to  resume  our  labors  after  our  meal  was  concluded, 
and  we  occupied  ourselves  in  and  about  the  camp,  and  in  dis 
cussing  the  reason  of  the  Indians'  attack,  and  the  probability  of 
its  being  followed  up  by  another.  The  day  wore  on  without  any 
signs  of  our  companions'  return.  Towards  evening,  a  rifle  was 
fired  off  occasionally,  to  let  them  know  of  the  danger  which  in 
all  probability  awaited  them  from  an  attack  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians,  and  also  to  let  the  latter  gentry  know  that  we  were  on 
the  look-out.  It  was  arranged  that  we  should  all  keep  watch 
until  the  arrival  of  our  friends,  to  be  the  better  prepared  for  any 
danger  which  menaced  us  and  them ;  for  we  thought  it  not  un 
likely  that  the  Indians  were  hovering  about  the  camp,  and  might 
attempt  a  surprise.  Exhausted,  however,  by  excitement  and 
fatigue,  one  by  one  we  dropped  off  to  sleep.  I  was  awakened  up  by 


70  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

the  report,  as  I  thought,  of  a  rifle,  which  was  immediately  fol 
lowed  by  a  horrible  moaning,  and  the  whole  of  us  were  soon  on 
our  legs,  rifles  in  hand,  in  the  expectation  of  being  butchered  in 
the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  Bradley's  well-known  whistle, 
however,  somewhat  restored  our  confidence. 

In  a  few  minutes  Lacosse,  Bradley,  and  the  old  trapper  were 
by  the  camp-fire.  "  Is  M'Phail  here  ?"  asked  all  of  them  in  a 
breath,  anxiously  looking  round  the  circle.  The  reply  to  the 
question  was  a  sad  one  :  he  had  not  yet  returned.  In  answer  to 
our  inquiries  as  to  where  they  had  parted  from  him,  and  as  to 
whether  they  had  heard  the  rifle-shot  which  had  disturbed  us 
from  our  sleep,  Lacosse  replied  that  they  had  first  missed  him. 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  ago,  but  they  did  not  feel  any  par 
ticular  uneasiness  at  the  circumstance,  as  they  imagined  he  had 
ridden  on  first.  The  night  was  rather  dark,  bat  Lacosse  said  the 
trail  could  easily  be  distinguished.  With  regard  to  the  shot  we 
had  heard  fired,  and  the  moans  which  followed  it,  Bradley  said, 
that  shortly  after  missing  M'Phail  they  found  some  wolves  were 
on  their  track,  in  all  likelihood  scenting  the  deer  which  they  were 
carrying  slung  across  their  horses.  Fearing  their  noise  might 
attract  a  more  dangerous  customer,  in  the  shape  of  a  puma,  to 
wards  them,  he  fired  a  couple  of  pistols,  which  had  the  effect  of 
wounding  two  of  the  pack,  who  rolled  over  with  terrific  howls. 
It  must  have  been  Bradley's  last  shot  that  woke  us,  for  none  of 
us  heard  more  than  one  shot  fired. 

Our  three  huntsmen  set  about  preparing  their  supper  imme 
diately,  in  the  full  expectation  that  M'Phail  would  make  his  ap 
pearance  before  the  venison  was  ready.  The  supper  was,  how 
ever,  cooked  and  eaten,  but  still  no  M'Phail  arrived.  Another 
hour  was  suffered  to  elapse,  and  then  we  began  to  consider  that 
it  was  nearly  three  hours  ago  since  he  was  last  seen,  while  at 
that  time  he  was  not  more  than  one  hour's  distance  from  the 
camp.  It  was  evident,  therefore,  that  he  had  either  missed  the 
trail  or  followed  it  in  the  opposite  direction  (which  last  was  the 
old  trapper's  opinion),  else  some  more  serious  misfortune  had 
happened  to  him.  We  at  once  resolved  to  set  out  in  search  of  him, 
leaving  a  guard  behind  at  the  camp.  The  mate  and  Don  Luis, 
being  both,  as  it  were,  invalided,  were  of  course  among  those 
who  were  to  remain.  Bradley  pleaded  fatigue,  and  wished  to 
stay  in  camp,  and  Biggs  was  left  on  guard  with  him. 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  71 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IT  must  have  been  about  one  o'clock  when  we  started,  and,  after 
half-an-hour's  hard  riding,  we  came  upon  the  spot  where  M'Phail 
had  last  been  seen.  We  shouted  for  some  time  as  loudly  as  our 
lungs  would  let  us,  but  heard  nothing,  save  the  howl  of  some  hun 
gry  wolf,  in  reply.  We  then  followed  the  trail  at  a  brisk  pace  for 
eight  or  nine  miles,  but  could  discover  nothing  of  our  missing  friend. 
There  seemed  no  possibility  of  ascertaining  whether  he  had  pro 
ceeded  in  the  direction  in  question  or  not,  as  the  marks  made  by 
the  horses  of  the  party  in  the  morning,  on  their  way  out,  some 
what  confused  the  old  trapper.  His  keen  eye,  however,  soon  de 
tected  marks  of  a  horse's  hoof  in  a  contrary  direction,  over  the 
marks  which  the  horses  of  the  hunting  party  had  made  on  their 
return.  These  signs  were  not  apparent  beyond  the  spot  we  had 
reached.  In  which  direction  they  were  continued,  the  night  was 
too  dark  to  discover. 

Feeling  that  further  search  before  daybreak  would  be  useless, 
we  resolved  to  get  a  few  hours'  sleep  in  the  meantime ;  and,  dis 
mounting  from  our  horses,  secured  them  as  well  as  we  could,  and 
placing  our  saddles  on  the  ground  to  serve  as  pillows,  we  wrap 
ped  our  saddle-cloths  round  us,  and  were  soon  fast  asleep.  Story 
and  the  lad  Horry  did  first  duty  as  sentinels.  While  they  were 
on  guard  I  was  wakened  by  a  sharp  tug  at  my  leg,  and  while  I 
was  seizing  hold  of  my  rifle,  I  recognized  Story's  voice  calling 
me  by  name.  He  told  me  that,  after  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  for 
about  half-an-hour,  he  observed  several  fires  on  the  hill-sides,  ap 
parently  about  half  a  mile  off;  he  had  been  watching  them  for 
some  time,  and  at  last  determined  to  wake  one  of  the  party. 

I  went  with  him  outside  the  little  willow  copse  where  we  had 
fixed  ourselves,  and  true  enough  there  were  the  fires,  belonging, 
as  we  thought,  to  a  camp  of  Indians — very  likely  the  same  who 
had  stolen  our  horses  and  attacked  us  in  the  morning.  We  re 
turned  and  woke  the  whole  party  ;  and,  a  consultation  being  held, 
it  was  decided,  as  we  were  well  armed,  and  as  the  Indians  had 
shown  so  much  anxiety  this  morning  to  get  beyond  reach  of  our 
weapons,  after  tasting  a  few  shots,  to  effect  a  surprise,  and  recov 
er,  if  possible,  our  stolen  horses.  We  saddled  and  mounted  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and,  after  riding  about  a  mile  in  the  direction 
of  the  fires,  found  that  we  were  getting  tolerably  close  to  our 
enemies.  On  we  went,  taking  every  bush  which  crackled  be 
neath  our  horses'  tread  for  a  token  of  the  movements  of  some  In 
dian  scout  who  had  scented  our  approach.  When  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  camp-fires  we  dismounted,  and  tied  our  horses  to 
some  trees,  leaving  them  in  charge  of  the  lad  Horry,  with  direc 
tions  for  him  to  keep  his  ears  well  open,  and,  in  the  event  of 


72  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

his  hearing  us  retreat  from  the  Indians,  to  give  a  few  lusty 
shouts,  so  as  to  let  us  know  where  the  means  of  flight  were  to  be 
found. 

We  advanced  cautiously,  Malcolm  and  Bradshaw  preceding 
the  main  body,  about  twenty  paces  apart.  The  arrangement 
was  for  the  five  (namely  Lacosse,  Story,  the  Trapper,  Jose,  and 
myself)  who  composed  the  main  body,  to  form  a  semicircle,  of 
which  the  two  scouts  would  compose  the  extreme  points,  and  so 
to  approach  the  Indians'  camp,  on  Hearing  which  we  were  to  fire 
a  volley  on  them  from  our  rifles,  and,  wheeling  round,  drive  our 
horses  off  and  retreat.  We  were  within  two  hundred  paces  of 
the  camp-fires  when  we  were  startled  by  the  report  of  a  rifle.  A 
shrill  whistle  followed,  but  we  still  advanced,  and  in  a  few  mo 
ments  came  up  with  Malcolm  and  Bradshaw,  the  sailor  being 
supported  in  the  arms  of  his  companion,  who  called  out  that  the 
man  was  shot,  and  begged  me  to  look  to  him.  The  remainder 
of  the  party,  hearing  this,  moved  a  few  paces  forwards,  levelled 
their  rifles,  and  were  on  the  eve  of  firing,  when  we  were  sudden 
ly  saluted,  in  true  British  vernacular,  with  an  exclamation  of 

"  D your  eyes,  who  goes  there  ?"  This  so  startled  our 

party  that  it  saved  the  lives,  very  probably,  of  the  whole  camp. 
They  halted  for  a  moment,  and  consulted  together  as  to  the 
course  to  be  adopted.  A  shot  had  been  fired  from  the  camp,  and 
one  of  our  men  injured.  They,  therefore,  concluded  that  we  had 
stumbled  on  the  camp  of  one  of  those  gangs  of  ruffians  which 
were  known  to  infest  the  hills  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

At  this  juncture  I  ran  up  to  the  group  with  the  intelligence 
that  Bradshaw  had  been  injured  by  a  shot  from  his  own  rifle, 
which  had  accidentally  gone  off,  and  which  circumstance,  Mal 
colm  had  not,  in  the  first  instance,  explained.  I  told  my  compan 
ions  that  the  man  was  wounded  seriously  in  the  leg ;  that  I  had 
merely  bandaged  it  up  with  a  handkerchief,  and,  leaving  him  in 
Malcolm's  charge,  had  hastened  forward  to  let  them  know  the 
fact,  that  no  more  blood  might  be  shed.  No  sooner  was  this  ex 
planation  given  than  we  heard  a  loud  shout  from  the  lad  Horry, 
followed,  as  I  thought,  by  some  faint  groans ;  but  none  of  the 
others  heard  them,  and  I  thought  I  might  have  been  mistaken. 
It  was  concluded  that  he  was  merely  shouting  in  accordance  with 
our  instructions,  and  no  further  notice  was  taken  of  the  affair. 
At  that  instant  several  horses  came  galloping  by  at  full  speed, 
passing  within  a  few  yards  of  us,  and,  following  them,  we  could 
discern  half-a-dozen  mounted  Indians.  We  guessed  the  truth  at 
once.  They  had  cut  the  bridles  of  our  horses,  and  were  driving 
them  away  to  rejoin  their  fellows,  which  had  been  stolen  from  us 
in  the  morning.  We  levelled  our  rifles  and  fired — reloaded,  and 
fired  again ;  and  then,  in  the  midst  of  a  chorus  of  hallooing  and 
screaming  from  the  camp  just  before  us,  and  the  loud  bellowing 
of  the  retreating  Indians,  started  off  in  pursuit,  and  soon  succeeded 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  73 

in  turning  our  animals  round,  the  Indians  vanishing  as  rapidly 
as  they  had  appeared. 

Securing  our  steeds,  we  walked  them  back  in  the  direction  of 
the  spot  where  we  had  left  Horry,  and,  after  some  trouble,  suc 
ceeded  in  finding  the  exact  place,  when,  to  our  horror,  we  found 
the  poor  fellow  quite  dead,  his  body  covered  with  blood,  and  his 
head  and  face  dreadfully  disfigured.  A  closer  examination 
showed  us  that  the  poor  lad,  after  being  murdered,  had  been 
scalped  by  the  savages.  "  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  old  trapper,  "  sure 
enough  his  scalp  is  dangling  in  the  belt  of  one  of  them  devils. 
G-d  !  I'll  send  an  ounce  of  lead  through  the  first  red-skin  I  meet 
outside  them  clearings.  We'll  have  vengeance — we  will." 

As  soon  as  I  was  a  little  recovered  from  the  horror  which  this 
scene  naturally  caused.  I  returned  with  the  old  trapper  to  the  spot 
where  I  had  left  Malcolm  and  Bradshaw,  hardly  expecting,  after 
what  I  had  just  witnessed,  to  find  either  of  them  alive.  I  was, 
however,  happy  in  my  fears  not  being  realized.  They  were  both 
as  I  had  left  them.  We  carried  the  wounded  man  as  well  as  we 
could  between  us  back  to  the  place  where  the  remainder  of  the 
party  were  waiting  for  us.  Here  we  stayed  till  daybreak,  silent 
and  dejected.  For  my  own  part  I  could  have  wept.  That 
rough  sailor  lad,  though  under  other  circumstances  I  might  have 
looked  down  on  him  with  contempt,  and  have  not  cared  one  straw 
whether  he  was  dead  or  alive,  had  been  one  of  a  little  society, 
every  member  of  which  had  grown  upon  me  in  the  rude  life  we 
had  lived  together  in  this  wilderness,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  lost  a 
friend. 

The  day  broke  at  last,  and  after  repairing  our  bridles  as  well 
as  we  could,  we  prepared  to  depart.  "We  wrapped  the  body  of  the 
dead  lad  in  a  blanket,  and  laid  it  over  the  back  of  his  horse  to 
convey  it  to  our  camp,  where  we  might  bury  it  according  to  the 
rites  of  the  English  church.  I  examined  the  carpenter's  leg,  and 
found  his  hurt  was,  fortunately,  only  a  flesh  wound.  It  gave 
him,  nevertheless,  great  pain  to  travel  on  horseback,  but  there  was 
no  other  means  of  conveying  him  to  the  camp.  As  we  rode 
slowly  along,  in  the  gray  light  of  the  morning,  we  caught  sight  of 
the  valley,  the  scene  of  our  last  night's  misfortunes,  and  saw  on 
the  hill-sides  two  white-tented  emigrant-wagons,  with  the  horses 
quietly  grazing  down  in  the  bottom.  Several  of  us  rode  towards 
the  spot,  but  found  not  a  soul  there.  One  of  last  night's  mysteries 
was  explained.  The  camp  we  had  at  first  taken  to  be  an  Indian 
one,  and  then  one  of  mountain  robbers,  was  merely  that  of  a  few 
emigrants,  who,  having  crossed  the  pass  in  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
were,  doubtless,  on  their  way  to  the  Sacramento  Valley.  In  all 
probability,  alarmed  by  the  extraordinary  affair  of  last  night,  they 
had  abandoned  their  wagons,  and  sought  concealment  from  the 
dangers  which  they  imagined  surrounded  them.  We  shouted  out 
the  words  "Friends,"  "Americans,"  and  other  expressions,  to 


74  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

give  them  confidence,  if  they  were  withing  hearin,  but  we  ob 
tained  no  reply.  We,  therefore,  hastened  to  rejoin  the  remainder 
of  our  party,  and  in  about  three  hours'  time  we  reached  the  camp; 
cheering  ourselves  with  the  thought,  as  we  moved  along,  that  we 
should  find  M'Phail  had  returned.  But  we  were  doomed  to  disap 
pointment  ;  there  were  no  tidings  of  him,  and  sorrowfully  did  we 
set  to  work  to  dig  poor  Horry's  grave.  After  Malcolm  had  read 
the  service  from  the  English  Prayer-book  over  him,  we  sawed  off 
a  pine-log,  which  was  inserted  a  couple  of  feet  deep  in  the  ground, 
and  on  the  upper  part,  which  had  been  smoothed  for  that  purpose, 
we  carved,  in  rude  letters,  his  name,  and  the  date  of  his  death. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

August  27th. — We  have  passed  a  heavy,  but  not  very  profitable 
week.  Three  days  of  our  time  have  been  spent  in  strengthening 
our  defences,  and  we  have  had  some  severe  labor  in  felling  pine 
trees  and  dragging  them  to  the  stockade.  We  have  driven  shar 
pened  stakes  into  the  earth,  and,  after  laying  the  logs  longitudi 
nally  within  them,  have  twisted  the  lighter  boughs  and  brush 
wood  of  the  trees  in  the  interstices.  Before,  we  began  this  task, 
however,  the  trapper,  Malcolm,  and  Lacosse  started  in  search  of 
M'Phail,  but  returned  the  same  night  (Sunday)  unsuccessful.  In 
the  meantime,  my  two  patients  got  on  favorably ;  the  pure  air 
and  temperate  living  doing  more  for  the  wounds  than  medical 
skill  could  effect. 

On  Monday,  a  council  was  held  as  to  the  propriety  of  sending 
another  party  in  search  of  our  missing  friend  ;  and,  after  some 
discussion,  the  trapper  started  off  alone,  taking  rations  with  him 
to  last  him  two  or  three  days.  On  Wednesday  we  set  to  work 
again,  digging  and  washing,  confining  ourselves,  however,  to  that 
portion  of  the  stream  and  to  those  canons  which  were  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  the  camp.  Upon  the  whole,  we  made  good  progress 
during  the  week,  frequently  averaging  four  ounces  of  gold  dust 
and  flakes  a  day  per  man.  Early  on  Wednesday  the  trapper 
made  his  appearance,  but  he  had  returned  without  any  tidings  of 
our  missing  friend. 

It  was  upon  Thursday  evening,  as  we  were  returning  to  the 
camp  after  a  hard  day's  work,  that  we  were  delighted  at  perceiv 
ing  our  comrade  M'Phail,  whom  we  had  given  up  for  lost,  making 
his  way  towards  us,  accompanied  by  a  couple  of  Indians,  fantas 
tically  dressed  in  the  Spanish  fashion,  the  costumes  having  been 
probably  purchased  by  the  sale  of  gold  dust  lower  down  the 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  75 

country.     Our  friend  was,  of  course,  joyfully  received,  and  a 
special  can  of  pisco  punch  brewed  in  honor  of  his  return. 

His  adventures  since  his  separation  from  the  party  were  soon 
related.  He  had  turned  aside  to  water  his  horse  at  a  small  rivu 
let,  and,  on  his  return,  waited  at  the  trail  for  his  comrades,  whom 
he  conceived  to  be  still  in  the  rear.  After  waiting  for  nearly  half 
an  hour,  he  thought  that  they  must  have  passed  him,  and  gallop 
ed  after  them  in  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  proper  trail.  After 
half  an  hour's  ride,  however,  he  found  himself  utterly  at  sea — no 
sign  of  the  camp,  or  of  his  comrades.  He  mounted  several  high 
ridges,  which  he  hoped  might  command  a  view  of  the  Bear  Val 
ley  ;  but  all  he  could  see  was  a  wilderness  of  hills  and  deep 
ravines,  here  and  there  checkered  with  fertile  bottoms  clumped 
with  pines  and  oaks.  In  fact,  he  grew  quite  confused,  and,  to 
add  to  his  perplexity,  in  fording  a  rapid  torrent  his  horse  stumbled, 
and  was  carried  off  his  legs  by  the  strength  of  the  stream,  and  had 
to  swim  for  it.  At  length  they  gained  the  further  bank  ;  but  our 
friend  found  that  in  his  agitation  he  had  dropped  his  rifle,  which 
was  irrecoverably  gone. 

Finding  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  country  about  him, 
he  determined  to  encamp  for  the  night,  and  accordingly  laid  his 
head  on  his  saddle,  wrapped  himself  up  in  his  cloak,  and  went 
supperless  to  sleep.  When  he  awoke  in  the  morning,  he  found 
that  his  horse,  which  he  had  tethered  to  a  neighboring  stunted 
tree,  had  strayed  away,  and  although  he  followed  his  trail  for 
some  time,  he  was  eventually  obliged  to  give  up  his  search.  The 
remainder  of  this  and  the  following  day  he  wandered  about  at 
random,  amidst  a  wild  and  sterile  country,  furrowed  with  tremen 
dous  chasms  several  hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  the  hedge  of  which 
it  was  necessary  to  skirt  for  miles  ere  a  crossing-place  could  be 
found.  During  this  time  poor  M'Phail  fared  very  hardly.  He  saw 
numerous  herds  of  elk,  but  they  bounded  past  unharmed :  he  had 
no  rifle.  He  tried  in  vain  to  find  some  edible  roots,  and  was  at 
length  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  chewing  grass  and  the  pith  of 
alder  trees. 

Throughout  this  period  his  sufferings  were  excessive ;  but  as 
the  time  passed  and  brought  no  relief,  he  experienced  a  sickness 
and  nausea  of  the  most  gnawing  and  horrible  description.  He 
became  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly  stand.  At  length  at  sunset, 
on  the  third  day  of  his  wanderings,  he  laid  himself  down  upon  a 
spot  of  grass,  and  fell  into  a  kind  of  stupor,  in  the  full  belief  that 
he  would  only  wake  in  the  agonies  of  death.  It  was  then  that 
he  was  discovered  by  the  two  Indians  who  brought  him  to  the 
camp.  They  behaved  with  great  humanity  towards  him,  allow 
ing  him,  however,  to  eat,  first  of  all,  only  a  few  morsels  of  the  dried 
meat  which  they  had  with  them,  that  he  might  not  harm  himself 
by  over-eating,  after  such  a  lengthened  fast.  As  his  stomach  by 
degrees  recovered  its  tone,  they  permitted  him  to  take  further  nu- 


7(3  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

triment ;  and  after  encamping  with  them  on  that  and  the  follow* 
ing  night,  he  felt  sufficiently  recovered  to  proceed  on  his  journey 
to  the  camp.  His  kind  benefactors  understood  a  few  words  of 
Spanish,  and  he  was  enabled  to  explain  to  them  the  part  of  the 
country  he  wished  to  reach.  They  undertook  to  guide  him 
thither — told  him  they  would  arrive  there  after  having  slept  once, 
and  by  slow  marches  made  their  way  to  Bear  Valley,  which  they 
reached  on  the  evening  of  the  second  day.  M'Phail  expressed 
his  surprise  on  finding  that  he  had  wandered  no  greater  distance 
off.  He  showed  his  gratitude  to  his  guides  by  presenting  them 
with  the  two  large  holster  pistols  which  he  brought  with  him 
from  Oregon ;  and  on  the  following  morning  they  took  their  de 
parture  from  the  camp. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

August  %Qth. — We  have  led  a  lazy  life  of  it  these  last  few  days. 
The  excitement  we  have  lately  undergone  has  unfitted  us  for  re* 
lular  labor  ;  and  besides,  one  has  had  altogether  a  tolerably  long 
spell  of  toil.  Although,  ever  since  we  have  been  fairly  settled 
here — now  about  a  month— we  have  not  worked  more  than  from 
four  to  five  hours  daily,  and  we  have  taken  it  by  turns  to  go  out 
on  hunting  expeditions :  still  I  think  most  of  us  have  had  enough 
of  it ;  and  were  it  not  that  the  rainy  season  will  soon  set  in,  when 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  give  over  work,  I  should,  for  my  own 
part,  feel  inclined  to  return  to  the  coast  forthwith.  Sickness  has 
begun  to  show  itself  in  our  camp,  and  we  have  three  men  now 
laid  up :  Bradshaw,  whose  wound,  though  healing,  will  still 
confine  him  for  many  days ;  Biggs,  who  has  had  a  severe  attack 
of  fever,  but  is  now  recovering  fast ;  and  Bowling,  who  lies  in 
side  the  shanty  in  an  almost  helpless  state,  My  stock  of  drugs,  too, 
is  nearly  exhausted.  Thank  God,  my  own  health  has  altogether 
been  most  excellent.  Although  the  vegetation  dying  off  in  the 
valleys  at  this  time  of  the  year  gives  rise  to  a  sort  of  malaria, 
still,  from  the  herbage  not  being  of  so  rank  a  character  about  here 
as  it  is  in  the  lower  settlements,  the  effects  are  by  no  means  so 
injurious;  besides,  the  cool  air  from  the  mountains  acts  as  a 
wholesome  check. 

Our  provisions  have  run  very  low  ;  nearly  the  whole  of  our 
flour  is  exhausted,  and  we  are  forced  to  live  on  the  produce  of  our 
hunting  expeditions.  The  little  flour  we  have  is  set  apart  for  the 
invalids  of  the  party.  Yesterday  our  hunters  came  in,  after  be 
ing  absent  all  day,  with  only  a  black-tailed  deer  and  a  couple  of 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  77 

hares  :  quails,  however,  are  tolerably  plentiful.  Lacosse  and  the 
trapper  have  volunteered  to  set  off  to  Sutler's,  and  bring  us  up  a 
supply  of  breadstuff's  sufficient  to  last  us  until  the  sickly  season 
sets  in.  I  believe  it  is  arranged  for  them  to  start  off  to-morrow. 

September  1st. — There  have  been  several  discussions  as  to 
the  prudence  of  keeping  the  large  quantity  of  gold  we  have  al 
ready  procured  in  camp,  when  we  are  liable  to  be  surprised  by 
the  Indians,  who  for  the  sake  of  it  would  tomahawk  and  scalp 
us  all  round.  It  seems  to  have  spread  from  tribe  to  tribe,  that 
the  yellow  earth  which  the  pale  faces  are  in  search  of,  will  buy 
not  only  beads  and  buttons  and  red  paint,  but  rifles  and  charges 
of  powder  and  ball,  scarlet  blankets  and  the  "  strong  water," 
which  the  Indian  "  loves,  alas  !  not  wisely  but  too  well."  Some 
are  of  the  opinion  that  we  ought  to  keep  it  by  us,  always  leaving 
a  proper  guard  on  the  look-out,  until  we  finally  abandon  the  dig 
ging,  when  we  could  return  with  it  to  the  settlements  in  a  body. 
Bradley  and  Hon  Luis  are  rather  opposed  to  this  plan,  and  vol 
unteer  to  take  the  gold  themselves  to  San  Francisco  or  Monterey 
immediately,  and  deliver  it  into  the  custody  of  some  merchant 
there  on  our  joint  account.  I  don't  like  this  suggestion,  for  the 
amount  is  sufficiently  large  to  tempt  any  one  to  make  off  with  it ; 
besides  it  would  be  dangerous  to  send  it  without  a  strong  guard. 
To-day  we  have  put  ourselves  on  short  rations,  as  our  stock  of 
provisions  is  getting  very  low. 

September  2nd. — The  camp  generally  seem  to  be  in  favor  of 
Bradley's  proposition.  Some  of  the  more  timid  ones  consider  that 
we  shall  be  in  constant  danger  for  the  next  two  months  before 
the  rainy  season  commences,  when  we  must  give  over  work.  It 
is  a  great  pity  that  the  gold  was  not  sent  down  at  the  time  La 
cosse  and  the  trapper  left. 

Three  Indians  came  into  the  camp  last  night,  belonging,  we 
believe,  to  some  tribe  no  great  distance  off.  We  gave  them  a  good 
supper ;  and  after  it  was  over  we  took  care  to  make  as  much  dis 
play  as  possible  of  our  firearms  and  bullet  pouches,  and  to  see 
that  our  horses  and  mules  were  well  tethered  before  we  turned  in 
for  the  night.  Story  and  M'Phail  were  the  first  guard.  The 
three  Indians  wrapped  themselves  up  in  their  blankets  and  slept 
just  outside  the  tent ;  and  after  a  good  breakfast  in  the  morning 
took  their  departure,  shaking  hands  with  our  party  all  round, 
and  expressing  by  other  signs  their  satisfaction  at  the  treatment 
they  had  met  with.  Biggs  is  nearly  recovered  from  his  attack, 
and  will  commence  work  again  in  a  couple  of  days;  mean 
while  he  is  doing  guard  duty.  Bowling  and  Bradshaw  are  still 
both  very  ill. 

September  3rd,  Sunday. — Bradley  repeated  his  proposition  to 
day,  that  himself  and  Don  Luis,  accompanied  by  Jose,  who  was 
to  take  charge  of  a  couple  of  horses  with  packs  containing  the 
bulk  of  the  gold,  should  start  off"  the  following  morning.  Story 
6 


78  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

was  of  opinion  that  they  ought  to  be  attended  by  a  guard  as  far 
as  the  Sacramento  Valley  ;  but  to  our  surprise  Bradley  and  Don 
Luis  opposed  this  suggestion  on  the  score  that  such  a  precaution 
was  unnecessary. 

Yesterday  evening  I  took  an  opportunity  of  speaking  privately 
to  Malcolm  and  M'Phail  in  reference  to  Bradley's  proposition, 
and  also  in  reference  to  his  and  Don  Luis's  peremptory  dismissal 
of  Story's  suggestion,  without  even  allowing  it  to  be  discussed. 
We  then  brought  a  circumstance  to  our  recollection  which  had 
never  struck  us  before,  namely,  that  neither  of  us  had  ever  seen 
Captain  Suiter's  receipt  for  the  gold  Bradley  had  deposited  in  the 
Captain's  charge,  and  we  determined  to  bring  the  matter  up  the 
first  opportunity.  To-day,  therefore,  while  we  were  at  breakfast, 
Malcolm  asked  Bradley  if  Captain  Sutler  had  given  a  receipt  for 
the  gold,  when  he  answered  "  Yes,  certainly ;"  but  to  our  sur 
prise,  stated  that  he  had  had  ihe  misfortune  to  burn  it.  He  went 
on  to  say,  that  while  on  his  return  to  Weber's  Qreek,  during  a 
halt  he  made,  he  had  struck  a  light  for  his  cigar  and  had  incau 
tiously  used  the  receipt  for  that  purpose.  He  had  mentioned  the 
matter  to  Don  Luis,  he  said,  the  same  day  he  returned.  Malcolm, 
M'Phail  and  myself  looked  at  each  other,  bul  we  felt  bound  lo 
believe  Bradley's  slaternent.  We  arranged,  however,  during  a 
stroll  we  made  from  the  camp  after  breakfast  was  finished,  not  to 
agree  to  Bradley's  proposition  in  reference  to  the  conveyance  of 
our  present  stock  of  gold,  unless  one  of  us  three  formed  one  of  the 
parly  accompanying  it. 

After  dinner,  I  brought  the  subjecl  forward  by  observing  that 
if  it  was  intended  Bradley's  plan  should  be  carried  out,  Malcolm 
would  desire  to  form  one  of  the  party  ;  and  as  an  excuse  for  his 
going,  I  staled  lhal  I  wished  him  to  gel  me  a  supply  of  drugs  at 
San  Francisco,  as  the  little  stock  I  had  brought  with  me  was 
quite  exhausted  ; — foolish-hke,  not  thinking  at  the  time  that  Brad 
ley  and  Don  Luis  could  have  procured  them  quite  as  readily  as 
Malcolm,  and  that  I  was  therefore  giving  no  reason  at  all  for  his 
accompanying  them.  Malcolm,  however,  came  lo  my  relief,  by 
slating  he  had  business  at  San  Francisco,  as  he  wished  to  see 
the  captains  of  some  of  the  vessels  in  the  harbor  there  thai  might 
be  bound  to  ihe  Columbia  River.  Bradley  gave  Don  Luis  a  side 
look,  and  said  lhal  no  ships  bound  for  Ihe  Columbia  would  be  found 
at  San  Francisco  at  Ihis  lime  of  Ihe  year.  Biggs,  however,  who 
knew  more  about  Ihe  shipping  al  that  port  than  any  of  us,  ob 
served  there  would  be ;  and  rather  a  warm  discussion  ensued, 
which  was  inlerrupted  by  Story  and  M'Phail  both  saying  to 
Bradley,  lhal  as  Malcolm  really  wanted  to  go  to  San  Francisco, 
they  had  better  go  in  company.  As  there  could  be  no  possible 
objection  to  this  course,  it  has  been  finally  arranged  for  them  to 
start  off  on  the  5th,  (Tuesday.)  Jose  was  to  be  left  behind. 

The  takings  of  the  past  week  have  been  very  good,  consi- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  79 

dering  that  we  have  two  of  our  party  absent,  and  three  laid  up 
with  illness.  The  sky  has  been  a  good  deal  overcast  to-day ; 
but  still,  from  what  I  learn,  there  is  no  chance  of  rain  for  another 
month. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

September  5th. — This  morning,  the  party  bound  for  the  coast 
started  off  as  agreed  on.  We  rose  before  daybreak,  breakfasted, 
and  got  the  horses  in  readiness  just  as  the  sun  showed  over  the 
mountain.  At  my  suggestion,  Malcolm  had  the  strongest  horse 
we  possessed  allotted  to  him,  as  it  had  been  arranged  that  he 
should  carry  the  bulk  of  the  gold,  and  that  Don  Luis  and  Brad 
ley,  who  were  to  take  as  much  as  they  could  carry  in  their  saddle 
bags,  were  to  form  the  guard.  This  plan  was  adopted  in  prefe 
rence  to  having  a  led  horse,  which  it  was  thought  would  greatly 
impede  their  progress,  and  prevent  the  party  from  reaching  the 
settlements  on  the  Sacramento  that  night.  Bradley  and  Don  Luis 
each  took  with  them  eighteen  pounds  weight  of  gold :  Malcolm, 
who  was  unencumbered  by  any  thing,  and  merely  carried  a  brace 
of  pistols  in  his  belt,  took  very  nearly  seventy  pounds.  To  relieve 
Malcolm's  horse  as  much  as  possible,  three  of  us,  who  were  to 
act  as  an  escort  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Sacramento  Valley, 
were  each  to  carry  fifteen  pounds  weight  of  the  gold  so  far  as  we 
went.  This  escort  was  composed  of  Story,  Jose,  and  myself. 

We  started  off  soon  after  sunrise,  amidst  the  faint  cheers  of 
our  invalided  companions,  and,  as  it  was  necessary  for  the  escort 
ing  party  to  return  to  the  camp  that  night,  it  was  agreed 
that  we  were  to  retrace  our  steps  at  noon  or  thereabouts.  The 
commencement  of  our  ride  was  through  an  open  country,  broken 
up  by  the  boulders  of  granite  and  clumps  of  dark  gray  sage  trees, 
when,  after  ascending  some  low  rocky  hills,  their  summits  crown 
ed  with  a  dense  forest  of  gigantic  pines,  we  entered  a  grassy  val 
ley,  lined  with  groups  of  noble  cedars,  whose  spreading  branches 
offered  a  most  inviting  shade.  Every  now  and  then,  we  had  to 
make  our  way  down  the  sides  of  huge  chasms  which  intercepted 
our  progress,  and  then  to  toil  slowly  up  the  difficult  ascent. 

At  noon  we  halted  and  took  shelter  from  the  sun  in  a  little 
dell  with  a  gushing  spring  bubbling  up  in  the  midst,  and  a  patch 
of  willows  fringing  the  banks  of  the  running  stream.  We  scam 
pered  our  horses  down  it,  dismounted,  and  turning  them  loose  to 
graze,  seated  ourselves  at  the  base  of  a  huge  rock  of  granite.  Our 
wallet  of  provisions  was  opened,  and  we  soon  made  a  hearty 


g0  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

meal.  Just  as  we  had  finished,  some  loose  earth  and  a  few  small 
stones  came  tumbling  down  from  above,  knocking  every  now  and 
then  against  the  projecting  ledges  of  rock  in  their  descent.  We 
immediately  started  up,  thinking  it  might  be  some  grizzly  old 
bear  anxious  to  make  a  meal  of  us,  and  Bradley  and  Malcolm 
scrambled  up  above  to  get  a  shot  at  him.  But  he  had  been  too 
quick  for  them,  for  just  as  they  reached  the  top,  they  heard  the 
branches  of  the  trees  crackling  in  a  tuft  of  underwood  opposite, 
which  lay  between  us  and  a  deep  water-course  we  had  just  cross 
ed.  As  a  fatiguing  journey  was  before  them,  they  did  not  think 
it  worth  while  to  give  chase  to  the  brute,  and  were  on  the  point 
of  descending  again  into  the  little  hollow  where  they  had  left  us, 
when  the  print  of  a  man's  foot  caught  Bradley's  eye  in  the  soft 
sandy  earth.  Several  others  were  noticed  close  by,  none  of  which, 
Bradley  protested,  had  been  made  by  our  party,  and  certainly  not 
by  a  bear,  but  by  some  skulking  Indians,  who  had  been  very 
likely  hovering  about  us.  They  hastened  to  communicate  this 
intelligence  to  us,  and  it  was  decided  that  as  the  party  bound  for 
the  coast  were  now  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of  the  upper  settle 
ments  on  the  Sacramento,  no  Indians  would  be  daring  enough  to 
attack  them,  and  it  would  hardly  be  worth  while  for  us  to  ac 
company  them  further.  We,  however,  insisted  upon  riding  a  few 
miles  more  on  the  road,  which  having  done,  we  took  leave  of 
them  with  many  wishes  for  their  safe  and  speedy  return,  and 
turned  our  horses'  heads  round  in  the  direction  of  the  camp. 

Feeling  rather  fidgetty  at  the  incident  of  the  morning,  we 
passed  the  spot  where  it  had  taken  place,  keeping  an  anxious 
look-out  in  every  direction,  and  after  a  hard  ride  of  several  hours, 
reached  the  camp  shortly  after  sundown,  glad  that  we  had  escap 
ed  any  disaster.  We  had  a  merry  evening  of  it ;  a  double  allow 
ance  of  whisky  was  served  out,  and  we  drank  our  friends'  safe 
arrival  and  return. 


I  now  sit  down  for  the  first  time,  after  a  lapse  of  several 
weeks,  to  resume  the  continuation  of  my  narrative.  Late  in  the 
evening  of  the  5th,  while  my  companions  were  chatting  over  the 
fire,  and  I  was  engaged  in  writing,  we  were  interrupted  on  a  sud 
den  by  a  loud  whistle,  the  note  of  which  I  thought  I  could  not  be 
mistaken  in.  "  Sure  that's  Bradley,"  exclaimed  I ;  the  others 
thought  not,  and  catching  up  their  rifles,  examined  the  flints.  The 
whistle,  when  again  repeated,  convinced  every  one,  however, 
that  my  first  surmise  had  been  correct.  In  another  minute  Brad 
ley  galloped  up  to  us,  and  Don  Luis  soon  followed  after ;  but,  to 
our  astonishment,  Malcolm  was  not  of  the  party.  "  My  friends," 
exclaimed  Bradley,  "  a  sad  disaster ;  the  best  part  of  the  gold  is 
gone — lost  beyond  a  doubt."  "Lost!"  said  I,  expecting  some 
treachery  on  the  part  of  Bradley  and  Don  Luis  ;  "  How  ?  I  don't 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  Ql 

believe  it ;  I  never  will  believe  it."     Bradley  gave  me  an  angry 
look,  but  said  nothing. 

"  Where  's  Malcolm  ?"  exclaimed  I.  "  Dead  by  this  time,  I 
am  afraid,"  replied  Bradley.  "  Good  God !"  I  exclaimed  aloud, 
and  involuntarily  muttered  to  myself,  "  Then  you  have  murdered 
him."  I  noticed  Bradley  examined  the  countenances  of  the  whole 
party  by  turns,  and  as  my  eye  followed  his,  I  saw  that  every  one 
looked  sullen  and  angry.  He,  too,  evidently  saw  this,  and  said 
nothing  more  the  whole  evening.  Don  Luis,  however,  volunteer 
ed  the  following  explanation  of  the  mystery. 

He  informed  us  that,  after  we  had  parted  from  them,  they  put 
their  horses  into  a  quick  trot,  to  escape  as  soon  as  possible  into  a 
more  agreeable-looking  sort  of  country.  They  suspected  some 
vagabond  Indians  were  hovering  about,  and  as  the  ground  they 
were  travelling  over  afforded  too  many  opportunities  of  conceal 
ment  to  gentry  of  their  character,  they  were  anxious  to  reach  a 
more  open  district.  Their  road  lay,  for  several  miles,  over  a  suc 
cession  of  small  hills,  intersected  by  valleys  covered  with  stunted 
oak  trees,  and  with  here  and  there  a  solitary  pine.  Just  at  a 
point,  when  they  were  winding  round  a  ridge  of  hills,  which  they 
imagined  separated  them  from  the  Sacramento  Valley,  having  a 
small  skirting  of  timber  on  their  left  hand,  he,  Don  Luis,  being 
slightly  in  advance  of  Bradley  and  Malcolm,  happened  to  turn  his 
head  round,  when  he  saw  a  horseman  stealthily  emerging  from  the 
thicket,  at  a  point  a  short  distance  in  their  rear.  In  a  very  few 
moments  another  horseman  joined  the  first,  and  before  Don  Luis 
could  give  an  alarm,  the  second  rider,  who,  it  seems,  was  an  In 
dian,  had  risen  in  his  saddle  and  had  flung  out  his  lasso,  which 
whizzing  through  the  air  true  to  its  aim,  descended  over  Malcolm's 
head  and  shoulders.  Don  Luis,  who  saw  all  this,  immediately 
jumped  from  his  horse,  and,  placing  his  finger  on  the  trigger  of  his 
rifle,  fired  just  as  the  Indian  was  galloping  away.  The  ball 
entered  his  horse's  head,  when  the  beast  was  brought  to  a  stand, 
and,  in  a  second  of  time,  rolled  over  with  its  rider  beneath  it,  just 
as  the  noose  had  tightened,  and  Malcolm  was  being  drawn  off  his 
horse  to  the  ground.  Bradley,  who  only  knew  of  the  danger  they 
were  in  by  hearing  the  lasso  whirl  through  the  air,  immediately 
dismounted,  and,  like  Don  Luis,  sheltered  himself  behind  his 
horse,  while  he  took  aim  and  fired.  His  never-failing  rifle  brought 
down  one  of  their  enemies,  a  swarthy-looking  man  in  the  usual 
Mexican  sombrero,  off  his  horse  to  the  ground.  In  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye  they  led  their  horses  behind  some  boulders  of  granite 
which  afforded  them  cover,  and  from  behind  which  they  saw  four 
men  come  charging  upon  them.  But  Bradley  and  Don  Luis, 
skilled  in  this  kind  of  warfare,  had  already  stooped  down  and 
reloaded.  Don  Luis  was  the  first  to  let  fly  at  the  advancing 
party,  but  without  success.  His  shot  was  answered  by  a  dis 
charge  of  rifles  from  the  enemy,  which  whistled  over  his  and 


82  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

Bradley's  heads.  Crack  went  Bradley's  rifle  again — "  And  you 
would  have  thought,"  said  Don  Luis  to  us,  "  that  the  ball  had 
split  into  four  pieces,  and  had  given  each  man  a  tender  touch,  for 
they  wheeled  round  their  horses  in  an  instant,  and  galloped  off, 
driving  Malcolm's  horse  before  them,  which  we  never  saw  again." 

Don  Luis  then  went  on  to  say.  that  as  soon  as  they  saw 
the  coast  was  clear,  they  left  their  cover  and  sought  out  Malcolm, 
who  was  lying  on  the  ground  with  the  lasso  tightly  pinioning 
his  arms,  and  to  all  appearance  dead.  On  a  closer  examination, 
however,  they  found  that  he  still  breathed,  and  also  that  he  had 
been  severely  trampled  on  by  some  of  the  horses  of  the  robbers 
in  their  retreat.  Bradley  pulled  out  his  bowie-knife  and  cut  the 
lasso  in  a  few  moments,  when  they  tried  to  raise  him  up,  but 
found  that  the  injuries  he  had  sustained  prevented  him  from 
standing.  He  was,  in  fact,  quite  insensible.  At  that  moment 
they  were  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  voices,  and  looking  round 
they  saw  a  party  of  horsemen  riding  up  at  full  speed  from  the 
direction  of  the  Sacramento.  They  gave  themselves  up  for  lost, 
but,  to  their  delight,  the  new-comers  proved  to  be  a  party  of 
miners,  who  hearing  so  many  rifle-reports  in  such  rapid  succes 
sion,  had  immediately  hastened  to  the  spot.  Don  Luis  supposed 
that  the  robbers  had  seen  their  approach,  and  that  this,  and  not 
the  bullet  from  Bradley's  rifle,  had  been  the  cause  of  the  scound 
rels'  precipitate  retreat.  They  found  the  Indian's  horse,  to  the 
saddle  of  which  the  lasso  was  attached,  quite  dead.  The  Indian 
himself  had  managed  to  crawl  off,  though  doubtless  much  hurt, 
as  Don  Luis  saw  the  horse  roll  right  over  him.  The  body  of 
the  robber  shot  by  Bradley  was  found  ;  life  was  quite  extinct, 
the  ball  having  passed  through  his  chest  in  a  transverse  direction, 
evidently  penetrating  the  heart.  He  was  recognized  by  some  of 
the  miners — natives  of  the  country — as  one  of  the  disbanded 
soldiers  of  the  late  California!!  army,  by  name  Tomas  Maria 
Carillo ;  a  man  of  the  very  worst  character,  who  had  connected 
himself  with  a  small  band  of  depredators,  whose  occupation  was 
to  lay  in  wait  at  convenient  spots  along  the  roads  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  sea-coast,  and  from  thence  to  pounce  upon  and 
plunder  any  unfortunate  merchant  or  ranchero  that  might  be 
passing  unprotected  that  way.  The  gang  had  now  evidently 
abandoned  the  coast  to  try  their  fortune  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  mines,  and,  judging  from  the  accounts  which  one  of  the  miners 
gave  of  the  number  of  robberies  that  had  recently  taken  place 
about  there,  their  mission  had  been  eminently  successful. 

"  Our  first  care,"  continued  Don  Luis,  "  was  to  see  to  poor 
Malcolm,  and  our  next  object  was  to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  ruffians. 
On  intimating  so  much  to  our  new  friends,  to  our  surprise  they 
declined  to  render  us  any  assistance.  Their  curiosity,  which  it 
seems  was  the  only  motive  that  brought  them  towards  us,  had 
been  satisfied,  and  I  felt  disgusted  at  the  brutality  of  their  con- 


GOLD-FINDERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  Q3 

duct  when  they  coolly  turned  their  horses'  heads  round,  and  left 
us  alone  with  our  dying  friend,  not  deigning  further  to  notice  our 
appeals  to  them  for  assistance.  No,  they  must  set  to  work  again, 
digging  and  washing,  and  we  might  thank  ourselves  that  their 
coming  up  had  saved  our  lives ;  this  was  the  burden  of  their 
reply.  In  their  eager  pursuit  of  gold,  they  had  not  a  moment  to 
spare  for  the  commonest  offices  of  Christian  charity.  At  length," 
said  Don  Luis,  "  in  answer  to  my  passionate  expostulations, 
backed  by  the  offer  of  any  reward  they  might  demand — which 
offer  alone  gave  force  to  my  words — two  of  them  consented  to 
return  in  about  an  hour  with  a  litter  to  convey  Malcolm  to  their 
camp. 

"  The  litter  they  brought  was  formed  of  branches  of  trees  tied 
together,  and  covered  thickly  over  with  blankets.  On  this  Mal 
colm  was  slowly  borne  down  the  hill-side,  until  a  rude  shanty 
was  reached.  He  was  carried  inside,  and  we  were  fortunate 
^  enough  to  meet  with  a  kind  Californian  woman,  who  promised  to 
attend  on  him  while  we  returned  here  for  your  assistance." 

In  reply  to  my  inquiries,  Don  Luis  said  that  he  thought  there 
were  no  bones  broken,  but  poor  Malcolm  was  dreadfully  bruised, 
and  his  flesh  in  parts  much  lacerated.  He  feared,  however,  that 
he  had  experienced  some  severe  internal  injuries.  As  it  was  ut 
terly  impossible  for  me  to  have  found  my  way  to  him  that  night, 
I  determined  to  take  a  short  nap  and  hurry  to  him  in  the  follow 
ing  morning. 

During  Don  Luis's  recital  I  did  not  for  one  moment  think  of 
the  gold  which  we  had  lost ;  all  my  sympathies  were  with  my 
poor  friend.  But,  at  the  conclusion  of  Don  Luis's  narrative,  I  saw 
that  but  few  of  my  associates  participated  in  my  grief.  Don  Luis 
was  immediately  assailed  with  inquiries  rudely  addressed  to  him 
in  reference  to  the  missing  gold.  In  reply,  he  stated  that  we  all 
knew  that  Malcolm  carried  in  his  saddle-bags  the  great  bulk  of 
the  gold  that  they  were  conveying  to  San  Francisco ;  and  that,  of 
course,  when  the  robbers  drove  off  the  horse,  the  gold  went  with  it. 
"It  is  the  doctor  you  have  to  thank  for  that,"  growled  out  Brad 
ley  ;  and  though  I  could  not  see  the  matter  in  this  light,  still  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  my  own  distrustful  disposition,  which, 
in  reality,  had  been  the  cause  of  making  Malcolm  a  party  to  the 
conveyance  of  the  treasure :  this,  in  fact,  had  in  all  probability 
sacrificed  my  friend's  life.  I  thought  of  his  poor  wife  and  chil 
dren  in  Oregon,  who  would  be  waiting  in  vain  for  his  return, 
\vhich  he,  poor  fellow,  had  delayed  so  long,  in  the  hope  of  going 
back  to  them  laden  with  wealth.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the 
night  most  of  the  party  remained  gathered  around  the  camp-fire 
— now  in  sullen  silence,  and  now  expressing  their  bitter  dissatis 
faction  at  the  arrangements  which  had  led  to  the  day's  misfortune. 
And  when  the  first  faint  light  of  daybreak  showed  over  the  tall 


g4  ;FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

peaks  of  the  snowy  mountains,  it  discovered  us  looking  haggard 
and  dejected,  alike  wearied  and  disgusted  with  every  thing 
around. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

WE  made  a  hasty  meal  from  our  scanty  stock  of  provisions  on 
the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  directly  it  was  over — just  as  I  was 
about  saddling  my  horse,  to  start  off  to  visit  poor  Malcolm — Don 
Luis  informed  me  that  our  companions  seemed  all  to  be  of  opinion 
that  it  would  be  best  to  share  the  stock  of  gold  still  remaining  at 
once,  when  those  that  preferred  it  could  make  their  way  to  the 
settlements,  and  the  others  could  continue  working,  if  they  pleased, 
on  their  own  account.  I  had  no  objection  to  offer  to  this  propo 
sition,  and  the  gold  was  all  collected  together  and  weighed. 
Bradley  undertook  the  charge  of  Lacosse's  share,  and  I  was  re 
quested  to  convey  Malcolm's  to  him.  Altogether  we  scraped  up 
nearly  forty-two  pounds'  weight ;  for,  besides  the  gold  which  Don 
Luis  and  Bradley  had  in  their  saddle-bags,  there  were  a  few 
pounds  more  belonging  to  the  general  stock.  This  had  to  be  di 
vided  equally,  for  the  gold  we  had  brought  from  Weber's  Creek 
had  been  confided  to  Malcolm's  charge  in  a  separate  bag.  It 
gave  exactly  four  pounds  two  ounces  a  man — value  seven  hun 
dred  dollars.  This,  with  six  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  my  share 
of  the  gold  deposited  with  Captain  Sutter,  and  the  dust,  scales, 
and  lumps,  arising  from  my  share  of  the  sale  of  the  cradles,  and 
the  produce  at  the  Mormon  diggings,  before  Lacosse  and  Biggs 
joined  us,  would  amount,  in  the  whole,  to  over  fifteen  hundred 
dollars. 

The  greater  part  of  the  morning  was  taken  up  with  squabbles 
respecting  the  weighing  of  the  gold.  I  took  no  part  in  it,  and 
was  content  to  receive  just  what  was  allotted  to  me.  I  called 
M'Phail  aside,  and  asked  him  what  it  was  he  intended  doing. 
He  replied,  that  if  any  of  the  others  would  join  him,  he  would 
start  in  pursuit  of  the  men  who  had  plundered  us.  He  was  sorry 
the  old  trapper  was  not  here,  as,  with  his  assistance,  he  felt  cer 
tain  the  scoundrels  might  be  ferreted  out.  Feeling  that  the  jour 
ney  to  poor  Malcolm  was  too  dangerous  a  one  to  be  attempted 
alone,  I  was  compelled  to  wait  until  I  could  prevail  on  some  of 
the  party  to  join  me.  Don  Luis,  Jose,  Bradley,  M'Phail,  and 
myself,  at  length  arranged  to  start  off.  Biggs,  who  was  now  quite 
well,  preferred  waiting  behind  a  few  days  longer.  Neither  Brad- 
shaw  nor  Dowling  were  sufficiently  recovered  to  travel.  Story 
determined  to  wait  until  they  were  well  enough  to  accompany 
him.  I  hardly  liked  the  notion  of  leaving  these  four  men  behind 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  85 

— only  two,  oral  most  three,  of  them  able  to  protect  themselves  in 
the  event  of  their  being  attacked  ;  still  they  did  not  seem  to  fear 
the  danger  ;  though,  even  if  they  had,  most  of  us  had  grown  so 
selfish  and  unaccommodating,  that  I  don't  think  they  would  have 
met  with  much  sympathy. 

It  was  an  hour  beyond  noon  when  we  were  in  readiness  to 
start.  We  took  two  of  the  baggage-horses  with  us,  to  carry  the 
tent-poles  and  covering,  and  a  few  utensils.  Our  personal  bag 
gage  was  packed  on  the  horses  we  rode.  Bradley  and  Don  Luis 
rode  in  advance.  Jose  followed  with  the  baggage-horses,  and 
M'Phail  and  myself  brought  up  the  rear.  We  had  not  proceeded 
more  than  four  miles  on  the  trail  when  we  saw  a  couple  of  horse 
men  some  distance  ahead,  advancing  towards  us.  As  soon  as  we 
were  within  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  of  each  other,  we  at  once 
recognized  them  to  be  Lacosse  and  the  old  trapper.  Urging  our 
horses  into  a  smart  trot,  we  soon  arrived  alongside  of  them  ;  and 
on  inquiring  what  it  was  that  had  caused  them  to  remain  so  long 
at  Suiter's,  and  also  how  it  was  that  they  had  neither  the  baggage- 
horses  nor,  apparently,  any  provisions  with  them,  Lacosse  gave 
us  this  explanation. 

He  stated  that  after  leaving  the  camp,  they  struck  the  Sacra 
mento  River  that  night,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  upper  set 
tlements  towards  evening  on  the  following  day.  The  next  morn 
ing  they  pursued  their  journey  and  arrived  at  Sutler's  Fort  about 
sundown :  they  encamped  near  here  for  the  night.  Flour  was 
as  much  as  eighty-five  dollars  a  barrel,  and  every  thing  in  the 
way  of  provisions  was  in  the  same  proportion.  They  purchased 
a  stock  of  flour,  and  packing  their  horses,  moved  off  the  same 
day.  In  the  evening  they  encamped  some  fifteen  miles  up  the 
Sacramento,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Feather  River,  and  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  spot  where  the  Indian  village  existed  which 
Captain  Sutler  had  destroyed  :  the  whole  circumstances  connected 
with  which  we  had  already  heard  from  the  old  trapper.  They 
resumed  the  journey  early  on  the  following  morning,  and  by  the 
evening  had  made  about  twenty-five  miles,  when  they  rested  for 
the  night  near  one  of  the  little  camps  of  miners,  which  they  found 
scattered  about  the  valley  every  few  miles  along  the  route.  The 
next  day  they  pushed  forward,  and  found  these  encampments 
much  less  numerous — only  one  or  two  were  passed  throughout 
the  entire  day.  Just  after  sundown,  however,  they  saw  by  the 
fires  up  the  hills  quite  a  little  colony  of  gold-washers,  which  they 
moved  towards;  and,  after  purchasing  some  provisions  at  a  store 
recently  opened  there,  for  which  they  paid  a  most  exorbitant 
price,  they  securely  tethered  their  horses  to  the  stakes  they  had 
driven  in  the  ground,  and  encamped  for  the  night.  They  did  not 
think  it  necessary  to  keep  watch,  but  when  they  awoke  in  the 
morning  they  found  the  baggage-horses  had  been  driven  off,  and 
their  packs  stolen.  The  horses  they  had  been  riding  on  were 


g5  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

just  as  they  had  left  them  over  night.     The  trail-marks  around 
the  camp  were  too  numerous  to  make  any  thing  out  of  them. 

On  making  inquiries  at  several  of  the  tents,  they  were 
treated  in  a  very  cavalier  sort  of  manner.  No  one,  of  course, 
knew  any  thing  about  their  horses  and  packs,  and  one  big  bony 
American  even  threatened  to  put  a  rifle-ball  into  them  unless 
they  left  his  shanty.  This  was  rather  too  much  for  them  to 
swallow  quietly,  so  they  rated  the  fellow  in  round  terms  ;  but  he 
very  coolly  reached  his  rifle  down  from  a  shelf  above  him,  and 
told  them  that  he  would  give  them  time  to  consider  whether 
they  would  move  off  or  not  while  he  examined  his  flint,  and  if 
they  were  not  gone  by  that  time,  he  would  make  a  hole  in  each 
of  their  skulls,  one  after  the  other.  Finding  that  he  was  coolly 
preparing  to  carry  out  his  threat,  they  made  their  exit,  and  found 
some  ten  or  twelve  people  gathered  together  outside.  From  one 
of  them  Lacosse  learned  that  this  man  had  shot  two  people  since 
he  had  fixed  himself  at  this  spot,  and  that  he  was  a  terror  to 
most  of  the  miners  in  the  camp.  It  appears  to  have  been  no  un 
common  thing  among  them  for  a  man  to  settle  a  quarrel  by  se 
verely  disabling  his  adversary.  There  were  several  people  at 
work  down  by  the  river,  with  their  arms  in  slings,  who  had  re 
ceived  serious  injuries  in  quarrels  with  some  of  their  fellows. 

They  thought  it  best  to  escape  from  such  a  state  of  things 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  and  immediately  mounted  their 
horses  and  pursued  their  journey.  That  night  they  took  good 
care  to  encamp  far  enough  off  from  any  of  the  gold-finding  fra 
ternity. 

It  was  now  our  turn  to  explain  to  Lacosse  the  reason  of  our 
return  to  the  settlements,  and  the  unfortunate  circumstances  that 
had  led  to  it.  He  was  disappointed  enough  at  the  intelligence. 
He  said  that  he  should  go  on  to  the  fort  and  collect  his  baggage 
together,  and  would,  if  possible,  join  Don  Luis,  Bradley,  and 
M'Phail  at  Sutler's,  and  see  whether  any  plan  could  be  arranged 
on  for  recovering  our  stolen  treasure.  The  trapper  was  to  ac 
company  him,  and  it  was  agreed  that  either  Bradley  or  M'Phail 
should  await  their  arrival  at  Sutler's  Fort. 

We  resumed  our  journey,  and  at  sundown  fixed  our  tent  at 
the  bottom  of  a  steep  hollow,  and  supped  off  the  moderate  rations 
we  had  brought  with  us  from  the  camp.  The  night  was  quite 
frosty,  and  when  I  awoke  in  the  morning,  my  limbs  were  numbed 
with  cold.  We  prepared  our  coffee,  and  partook  of  our  slight 
breakfast,  then  saddling  the  horses,  resumed  our  march.  It  was 
late  in  the  evening  when  we  reached  the  rude  shanty  to  which 
poor  Malcolm  had  been  conveyed  a  couple  of  days  since.  It  was 
an  anxious  moment  to  me  ;  but  I  was  gratified  to  find  that  he 
had  so  far  recovered  from  the  injuries  he  had  sustained  as  to  be 
able  to  sit  up  and  take  some  little  nourishment.  He  told  me  that 
beyond  the  severe  bruises  with  which  his  body  was  covered,  and 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  37 

a  wound  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his  leg,  he  did  not  think  he  was 
otherwise  injured.  Throughout  the  whole  of  yesterday  he  had 
experienced  the  most  violent  pains  in  his  head  ;  but  a  comforta 
ble  sleep  into  which  he  had  fallen  last  night  had,  to  all  appear 
ances,  entirely  deprived  him  of  them.  He  was  troubled  though, 
he  told  me,  with  a  sickening  sensation,  which  made  him  loathe 
any  thing  in  the  shape  of  food.  I  at  once  prescribed  such  reme 
dies  as  I  thought  necessary  to  be  applied  immediately,  and  left 
him  in  charge  of  his  kind  nurse  until  the  morning. 

I  was  at  his  bedside  shortly  after  the  sun  rose,  and  watched  by 
him  until  he  awoke.  Another  good  night's  rest  had  greatly  be 
nefited  him.  During  the  day,  recurring  to  his  misfortune,  he 
told  me  that  when  the  lasso  first  fell  over  his  shoulders,  he  fan 
cied  for  the  moment  that  he  was  in  the  gripe  of  some  wild  beast, 
but  immediately  he  felt  himself  drawn  from  his  horse,  the  truth 
became  apparent  to  him.  He  was  stunned  by  the  fall,  and  lay 
insensible  on  the  ground,  quite  unconscious  that  the  horse  of  one 
of  the  robbers  had  trampled  upon  him,  as  had  evidently  been  the 
case. 

Don  Luis,  Bradley,  M'Phail,  and  Jose  left  us  about  noon  on 
their  way  to  Suiter's  Fort.  I  promised  to  rejoin  them  in  a  few 
days,  if  Malcolm  so  far  recovered  as  no  longer  to  be  in  need  of 
my  services.  I  was  in  great  hopes  of  such  a  result,  as  he  show 
ed  evident  signs  of  improvement  since  I  saw  him  the  previous 
day. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

I  STAYED  with  Malcolm  throughout  the  next  few  days,  and  spent 
a  good  part  of  my  time  out  of  doors  among  the  gold- washers,  but 
still  I  felt  no  inclination  to  take  part  in  their  labors.  Fever  was 
very  prevalent,  and  I  found  that  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
people  at  this  settlement  were  unable  to  move  out  of  their  tents. 
The  other  third  were  too  selfish  to  render  them  any  assistance. 
The  rainy  season  was  close  at  hand,  when  they  would  have  to 
give  over  work,  but  meanwhile  they  sought  after  the  gold  as 
though  all  their  hopes  of  salvation  rested  on  their  success.  I  was 
told  that  deaths  were  continually  taking  place,  and  that  the  living 
comrades  of  those  whose  eyes  were  closed  in  that  last  sleep  when 
"  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest,"  de 
nied  the  poor  corpses  of  their  former  friends  a  few  feet  of  earth 
for  a  grave,  and  left  the  bodies  exposed  for  the  wolf  to  prey 
upon. 


88  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

In  a  couple  of  days  Malcolm  was  sufficiently  recovered  no 
longer  to  require  my  assistance.  At  his  instigation,  I  took  my 
departure  toward  Slitter's  Fort,  where  M'Phail  or  Lacosse  might 
perhaps  still  be  waiting  for  me.  I  felt  that  he  was  in  good  hands, 
and  that  his  kind  Californian  nurse  and  her  husband  would  do 
all  that  they  could  for  him.  Their  kind  treatment  of  my  poor 
friend  offered  a  striking  contrast  to  the  callous  selfishness  around. 

I  journeyed  by  slow  marches  along  the  banks  of  the  Sacramen 
to,  passing  several  colonies  of  gold-finders  on  my  way.  At  noon  I 
halted  at  one  of  these,  and  loitered  some  little  time  round  about 
the  camp.  The  rapidly-decaying  vegetation — here  unusually 
rank — was  producing  a  malaria,  and  sickness  was  doing  its  ra 
vages  ;  but  still  the  poor  infatuated  people,  or  rather  such  of  them 
as  were  not  prevented  by  positive  inability,  worked  on  until  they 
sunk  under  the  toil.  Every  one  seemed  determined  to  labor  as 
hard  as  possible  for  the  few  weeks  left  before  the  rainy  season 
set  in,  and  the  result  was,  that  many  of  them  met  their  deaths. 
There  were  others,  though,  who  sought  to  enrich  themselves  with 
the  shining  gold  by  a  quicker  and,  perhaps,  less  dangerous  pro 
cess  than  all  this  weary  toil. 

According  to  the  accounts  I  heard,  life  and  property  were  alike 
insecure.  The  report  ran,  that  as  soon  as  it  became  known  that 
a  man  had  amassed  a  large  amount  of  gold,  he  was  watched  and 
followed  about  till  an  opportunity  presented  itself  of  quietly  put 
ting  him  out  of  the  way.  There  had  been  but  few  known  deaths, 
but  the  number  of  persons  who  had  been  missed,  and  whose 
own  friends  even  had  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  go  in  search  of 
them,  was  very  large.  In  every  case  the  man's  stock  of  gold  was 
not  to  be  found  in  his  tent ;  still  there  was  nothing  surprising  in 
this,  as  every  one  made  a  point  of  carrying  his  gold  about  him,  no 
matter  how  heavy  it  might  happen  to  be.  One  or  two  dead  bodies 
had  been  found  floating  in  the  river,  which  circumstance  was 
looked  upon  as  indicative  of  foul  play  having  taken  place,  as  it 
was  considered  that  the  poorest  of  the  gold-finders  carried  fully  a 
sufficient  weight  of  gold  about  them  to  cause  their  bodies  to  sink 
to  the  bottom  of  the  stream.  Open  attempts  at  robbery  were  rare  ; 
it  was  in  the  stealthy  night  time  that  thieves  prowled  about,  and, 
entering  the  little  tents,  occupied  by  not  more  than  perhaps  a 
couple  of  miners,  neither  of  whom,  in  all  probability,  felt  inclined 
to  keep  a  weary  watch  over  their  golden  treasure,  carried  off  as 
much  of  it  as  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  By  way  of  precau 
tion,  however,  almost  every  one  slept  with  their  bag  of  gold  under 
neath  their  pillow,  having  a  rifle  or  revolver  within  their  reach. 

That  same  night  I  reached  the  camp  of  gold-washers,  where 
Lacosse  and  the  trapper  had  had  their  horses  and  packs  of  pro 
visions  stolen  from  them.  The  robbery,  I  believe,  was  committed 
by  men  almost  on  the  verge  of  want,  who  thought  it  a  more  con 
venient  way  of  possessing  themselves  of  a  stock  of  provisions  than 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


89 


performing  a  journey  to  the  lower  settlements  for  that  purpose 
would  have  been,  and  a  cheaper  way  than  purchasing  them  here, 
where  they  run  scarce,  and  where  the  price  of  them  is  exorbitantly 
high.  Other  things  are  in  proportion.  Clothing  of  any  descrip 
tion  is  hardly  to  be  had  at  any  price,  and  the  majority  of  the 
miners  go  about  in  rags.  Collected  round  a  rude  shanty,  where 
brandy  was  being  dispensed  at  a  dollar  a  dram  !  I  saw  a  group 
of  ragged  gold-diggers,  the  greater  part  of  them  suffering  from- 
fever,  paying  this  exorbitant  price  for  glass  after  glass  of  the  fiery 
spirit;  every  drop  of  which  they  consumed  was  only  aggravating 
their  illness,  and,  in  all  probability,  bringing  them  one  step  nearer 
to  their  grave. 

The  big  bony  American,  who  treated  Lacosse  and  the  trapper 
in  such  a  peremptory  manner,  and  who  seemed  to  be  the  terror 
of  these  diggings,  was  pointed  out  to  me.  I  learnt,  however,  that 
he  had  accumulated  a  very  large  amount  of  gold,  over  sixteen 
thousand  dollars'  worth,  it  was  said  ;  and  his  suspicions  that  par 
ties  were  lying  in  wait  to  plunder  him  of  it,  was  the  cause  of  his 
acting  as  he  had  done.  He  thought  that  they  only  came  to  his 
shanty  with  an  excuse,  for  the  purpose  of  observing  its  weak 
points,  and  that  no  doubt  they  had  a  scheme  in  their  heads  for 
robbing  him,  either  at  night  time,  or  while  he  was  absent  digging 
and  washing  during  the  day.  The  men  he  had  shot,  it  seems, 
were  common  thieves — one,  a  deserter  from  the  garrison  at  Mon 
terey,  and  the  other  belonging  to  a  similar  band  of  robbers  to  that 
by  which  our  party  had  been  attacked,  and  our  gold  carried  off. 

I  reached  Sutler's  Fort  the  next  day,  and  found  it  like  the  most 
crowded  localities  of  some  of  our  great  cities,  with  the  exception 
that  the  bulk  of  the  people  we  met  with  belonged  to  a  totally  dif 
ferent  race.  I  saw  Captain  Sutter  for  a  few  moments,  when  he 
informed  me  that  Mr.  Bradley  and  his  party  had  left  a  couple  of 
days  ago  ;  and  that  a  gentleman,  accompanied  by  a  man  named 
Joe  White,  who,  as  the  Captain  said,  used  to  trap  for  him  before 
the  gold  fever  came  up,  had  been  making  inquiries  at  the  Fort 
respecting  Mr.  Bradley  that  very  day.  I  at  once  saw  that  this 
could  be  no  other  than  Lacosse,  and  set  off  to  see  if  I  could  meet 
with  him.  After  some  search,  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  discover 
him  at  the  newly  opened  hotel  here,  where  he  had  intended  stop 
ping  for  the  night.  I  remained  with  him  and  shared  his  room — 
a  little  box  not  more  than  ten  feet  by  twelve,  or  thereabouts  ;  but 
we  considered  ourselves  fortunate  in  having  obtained  even  that, 
the  place  being  tremendously  crowded. 

I  heard  from  Lacosse  that  Captain  Sutter  had  informed  him 
that  the  leader  of  the  band  of  desperadoes  who  had  plundered  us, 
had  been  seen  down  at  the  Fort  with  some  of  his  companions  not 
more  than  ten  days  ago.  He  was  quite  sure  he  was  right  in  the 
man  ;  for  Tomas  Maria,  who  had  been  shot,  belonged  to  his  gang, 
and  was,  in  fact,  his  chief  lieutenant.  The  name  of  El  Capitan 


90  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

was  Andreas  Armjo  ;  and  Captain  Sutter  said  he  recommended 
Bradley  to  make  his  way  to  San  Francisco,  where,  in  all  proba 
bility,  he  would  meet  with  him,  as  when  he  left  the  Fort  he  had 
taken  the  road  towards  the  coast. 

The  next  day  we  started  off  towards  San  Francisco,  and, 
from  inquiries  made  on  the  road,  found  that  we  were  on  the  cor 
rect  track — Bradley,  Don  Luis,  M'Phail,  and  Jose,  having  passed 
through  a  day  or  two  previous.  We  arrived  at  the  end  of  our 
journey  without  meeting  with  any  adventures  worth  noting,  and 
at  once  made  our  way  to  Sweeting's  hotel,  glad  to  find  it  one  of 
the  few  houses  in  this  town  that  were  not  shut  up.  Here  we  met 
with  our  friends,  who  had  been  there  now  nearly  two  days,  and 
were  then  on  the  point  of  starting  off  in  pursuit  of  Andreas  and 
his  comrades.  We  learned  from  them,  that  directly  they  heard 
the  important  information  which  Captain  Sutter  had  communica 
ted  to  them,  they  started  off  in  pursuit,  but  not  with  any  expecta 
tion  of  coming  up  with  the  gentlemen  they  were  in  search  of  be 
fore  arriving  at  San  Francisco.  They  had  constant  tidings  of 
them  all  along  the  route,  as  El  Capitan  was  too  well  known  to 
many  a  poor  ranchero  whom  he  had  plundered  of  the  dollars  pro 
duced  by  the  sale  of  his  hides,  while  on  his  journey  home  from  the 
sea-coast. 

When  they  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  they  made  inquiries 
whether  any  ships  had  recently  left  the  harbor,  and  were  glad  to 
find  that  there  was  not  a  merchant  vessel  in  port  with  enough 
hands  on  board  to  weigh  the  anchor.  Every  ship  had  been  more 
or  less  deserted  by  its  crews,  who  had  hastened  off  for  a  few 
weeks'  labor  at  the  gold-diggings.  They  found,  however,  that 
Andreas  Armjo  and  his  men  had  been  making  inquiries  on  board 
of  the  vessels  to  ascertain  when  any  of  them  left  port.  On  find 
ing  none  were  sufficiently  manned  to  do  so,  they  offered  the  cap 
tain  of  one  schooner  a  thousand  dollars  to  land  them  at  any  port 
in  Mexico  he  pleased,  and  said  they  would  themselves  help  to 
work  the  ship.  The  captain,  however,  declined  the  offer. 

After  receiving  this  intelligence,  they  went  to  the  house  of  the 
first  alcalde,  to  consult  with  him  on  what  steps  should  be  taken  to 
arrest  the  robbers,  who  were  then  doubtless  at  some  place  near 
the  coast.  They  found,  however,  that  he  had  gone  to  the  mines 
with  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  they  made  their  way  to  the  resi 
dence  cf  the  second  alcalde,  in  the  hope  of  being  more  fortunate ; 
but  he  too  had  gone  to  the  mines  with  his  superior.  Further  in 
quiries  satisfied  them  that  there  was  not  an  officer  of  justice  left 
in  the  town  of  San  Francisco,  and  they  had  therefore  determined 
to  make  their  way  forthwith  to  Monterey,  as,  in  all  probability, 
the  gang  would  proceed  there  in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  a  ship. 

Lacosse  and  myself  determined  to  accompany  them,  and  the 
old  trapper  volunteered  his  services,  which  were  accepted.  We 
obtained  fresh  horses  from  Sweeting,  and  set  off  in  gallant  style, 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  9[ 

determined  to  shorten  the  distance  by  hard  riding.  It  was  early 
on  Wednesday  morning  when  we  arrived  at  Monterey  ;  and 
M'Phail  and  Bradley  proceeded  to  board  all  the  ships  in  the  bay, 
while  Don  Luis,  Lacosse,  and  "myself  made  inquiries  about  the 
town.  We  soon  learnt  that  Andreas  Armjo  and  his  party  had  been 
paying  it  a  visit ;  and,  moreover,  one  of  the  gang,  who  thought 
he  had  disguised  himself  so  as  not  to  be  recognized,  had  been  seiz 
ed  as  a  deserter  from  the  garrison  here.  The  others  were  not  in 
terfered  with,  as  there  was  no  specific  charge  out  against  them. 
Our  robbery  had,  of  course,  not  been  heard  of  here.  Don  Luis 
and  myself,  after  having  dispatched  Lacosse  to  communicate  this 
intelligence  to  Bradley  and  M'Phail,  sought  an  interview  with 
Colonel  Mason,  and,  on  informing  him  of  the  robbery  and  the 
circumstances  attending  it,  received  from  him  an  order  to  see  the 
soldier  who  was  then  under  arrest.  By  promises  of  not  proceed 
ing  against  him,  for  any  share  he  might  have  had  in  the  robbery, 
we  induced  him  to  confess  the  whole  circumstances  connected 
with  it,  and  also  to  inform  us  of  the  route  intended  to  be  taken  by 
El  Capitan  and  the  two  others  of  the  gang.  This,  it  seems,  was 
along  the  great  Spanish  Trail  to  Santa  Fe. 

On  rejoining  our  companions,  we  decided  to  continue  here  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  and  to  start  off  the  next  morning  in  pur 
suit.  We  informed  Colonel  Mason  of  the  circumstance,  and  he 
stated  that  he  would  have  furnished  us  with  a  guard  to  accompa 
ny  us,  if  he  did  not  feel  certain  that  the  men  would  desert  to  the 
mines  directly  they  got  outside  the  town. 

At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  commenced  the  journey, 
each  of  us  taking  a  stock  of  provisions  sufficient  to  last  for  a 
fortnight ;  although  we  hoped,  and  fully  expected,  that  we  should 
be  back  to  Monterey  several  days  before  that  time  had  expired. — 
It  was  purely  a  question  of  hard  riding.  Andreas  and  his  par 
ty  had  started,  as  far  as  we  could  learn,  three  days  in  advance 
of  us,  and  no  doubt  knew  the  track  better  than  the  old  trapper 
who  had  undertaken  to  accompany  us  as  guide.  He  had  never 
penetrated  further  than  the  foot  of  the  Sierra,  so  that  if  we  were 
compelled  to  cross  the  mountains  we  should  have  to  seek  for 
some  Indians  to  guide  us  on  our  course.  By  pressing  our  horses 
hard  we  succeeded  in  crossing  the  hills  of  the  coast  range  that 
night,  and  encamped  some  slight  way  down  the  descent,  in  as 
sheltered  a  spot  as  we  could  manage  to  select.  The  night  was 
quite  frosty,  but  we  made  up  a  blazing  fire,  and,  well  wrapped 
up  in  our  scrapes,  slept  till  morning,  without  feeling  much  incon 
venience  from  the  cold.  Next  day  we  struck  the  river  of  the 
lakes,  and  found  it  thickly  hemmed  in  with  timber  along  its 
whole  course.  We  soon  found  a  fording  place,  and  encamped  at 
night  a  few  miles  from  the  east  bank.  The  following  morn 
ing  we  fell  in  with  some  civilized  Indians,  who  informed  us,  in 
answer  to  our  inquiries,  that  a  party  of  three  whites  passed  along 


92  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE 

the  trail  the  evening  before  last,  and  that  they  would  have  en 
camped  at  no  great  distance  from  this  spot. 

These  Indians,  Don  Luis  informed  me,  had  all  of  them  been 
attached  to  the  California!!  Missions ;  but,  since  the  downfall  of 
these  establishments,  they  had  moved  across  the  coast  range,  and 
had  located  themselves  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Tule  Lakes, 
subsisting  chiefly  on  horseflesh.  To  gratify  their  appetites,  how 
ever,  instead  of  giving  chase  to  the  number  of  wild  horses — here 
called  mustangs — that  are  scattered  over  the  extensive  prairies  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  lakes,  they  adopt  a  much  lazier  method 
of  supplying  their  larder.  This  is,  to  make  predatory  excursions 
across  the  mountains,  and  to  drive  off  a  large  herd  of  tame  hor 
ses,  belonging  to  some  poor  ranchero,  at  a  time ;  these  they 
slaughter,  and  subsist  on  as  long  as  the  flesh  lasts,  when  they  set 
out  again  on  a  similar  expedition.  Sometimes  they  are  pursued, 
and,  if  overtaken,  butchered  forthwith  ;  but,  in  general,  they  man 
age  to  escape  some  little  distance  into  the  interior,  where  they  are 
safe  not  to  be  followed. 

We  put  spurs  into  our  horses,  and  soon  cleared  the  marshy 
ground  intervening  between  us  and  the  Fork,  which  we  lorded, 
and  rode  for  several  miles  through  a  country  thickly  covered  over 
with  oak  trees,  and  intersected  by  numerous  small  rivulets. — 
Large  herds  of  elk  were  frequently  started,  and  during  the  whole 
day  their  shrill  whistle  was  continually  being  heard. 

We  encamped  to-night  without  having  heard  anything  more 
of  Andreas  Armjo  and  his  companions.  Several  parties  of  Indi 
ans  we  met  a  few  hours  before  sundown  stated  that  they  had  not 
seen  any  white  men  along  the  trail.  I  felt  disposed,  as  far  as  I 
was  myself  concerned,  to  give  over  the  pursuit,  as  my  horse  was 
already  worn  out  by  the  journey  ;  but  my  companions  would  not 
listen  to  it,  and  determined  at  any  rate,  to  see  what  would  result 
from  following  it  up  briskly  during  the  next  day.  We  had  all 
noticed  that  there  were  no  new  signs  of  horses  that  had  been 
shod  passing  along  the  trail,  but  Bradley  was  of  opinion  that  the 
party  would  be  mounted  on  unshod  beasts,  as  very  few  of  the 
native  Californians  had  their  horses  shod,  unless  they  were  going 
a  journey  across  a  rough  broken  country. 

Next  day  we  fell  in  with  several  more  parties  of  Indians,  from 
whom  we  learnt  that  the  men  we  were  in  pursuit  of  were  full  two 
days'  journey  before  us.  One  party,  who  had  seen  them  en 
camped  the  preceding  evening  more  than  forty  miles  ahead,  told 
us  that  they  had  inquired  of  them  where  the  trail  turned  off  to 
Los  Angelos.  As  this  town  was  at  least  five  or  six  days'  journey 
distant,  and  as  the  Sierra  had  to  be  crossed  to  reach  it,  we  con 
cluded  among  ourselves  that  it  would  be  best  for  us  to  return  to 
Monterey  forthwith.  This  decision  was  readily  come  to,  as  there 
was  now  no  hope  of  overtaking  the  party,  and  every  step  we  pro 
ceeded  we  were  getting  into  a  more  hostile  country.  In  all  proba- 


GOLD-FINDERS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  93 

bility,  if  we  had  pursued  them  to  Los  Angelos,  we  should  have 
discovered  that  they  had  struck  off  on  to  the  great  Spanish  Trail, 
as  was  their  original  intention,  or  else  have  found  that  they  had 
been  to  Los  Angelos,  and  had  taken  their  departure  for  some  oth 
er  place  on  the  coast. 

We  therefore  turned  our  horses'  heads,  and  retraced  our  steps 
towards  the  coast  in  no  merry  mood.  We  rode  along,  in  fact,  in 
sullen  silence,  only  broken  to  mutter  out  our  expressions  of  dis-* 
appointment  at  the  escape  of  those  who  had  robbed  us  of  the 
fruits  of  so  many  months  of  toil,  exposure,  and  hardship.  We 
encountered  nothing  very  remarkable  during  our  three  days' 
journey  to  Monterey.  There  were  the  same  prairies  to  cross,  the 
same  thickets  to  penetrate,  and  the  same  streams  to  ford.  Herds 
of  elks  and  mustangs  were  continually  seen  upon  the  heights, 
and  every  now  and  then  we  met  with  some  small  parties  of  In 
dians,  many  of  the  chiefs,  dressed  in  the  Spanish  fashion.  We 
were  too  well  armed,  and  too  many  in  number,  for  any  of  them 
to  venture  to  attack  us,  had  they  been  so  inclined  ;  but  generally 
their  intentions  seemed  to  be  perfectly  pacific. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WE  had  previously  determined,  on  arriving  at  the  sea-coast,  to 
part  company.  There  was  now  no  object  for  keeping  together  in 
a  party,  and  our  future  plans  were,  of  course,  very  undecided.  It 
was,  therefore,  clearly  advisable  that  we  should,  at  least  for  the 
present,  separate.  This  resolution  was  not  come  to  without  some 
thing  like  a  pang — a  pang  which  I  sincerely  felt,  and  which  I 
believe  was  more  or  less  experienced  by  us  all.  We  had  lived  for 
four  months  in  constant  companionship — we  had  undergone  hard 
ships  and  dangers  together,  and  a  friendship,  more  vivid  than  can 
well  be  imagined  in  civilized  lands  to  have  been  the  growth  of  so 
short  a  period,  had  sprung  up  betwixt  us.  There  had  been  a  few 
petty  bickerings  between  us,  and  some  unjust  suspicions  on  my 
part  in  respect  to  Bradley;  but  these  were  all  forgotten.  Com 
mon  sense,  however,  dictated  the  dissolution  of  our  party.  When 
we  reached  Monterey,  we  went  to  an  inferior  sort  of  hotel,  but 
the  best  open  ;  and  the  following  day  we  arranged  the  division 
of  the  proceeds  arising  from  the  sale  of  the  gold  that  Bradley  had 
left  with  Captain  Sutler  for  consignment  here.  The  same  night 
we  had  a  supper,  at  which  a  melancholy  species  of  joviality  was 
in  the  ascendent,  and  the  next  day  shook  hands  and  parted. 
Don  Luis  went  back  to  his  own  pleasant  home,  and  Bradley 
started  for  San  Francisco.  As  for  the  others,  I  hardly  know  what 
7 


94  FOUR  MONTHS  AMONG  THE  GOLD-FINDERS. 

were  their  destinations.  All  I  know  is,  that  on  waking  the  next 
morning,  I  found  that  I  was  alone. 

After  breakfast  I  walked  about  the  town.  Like  San  Fran 
cisco,  Monterey  has  been  nearly  deserted.  Every  body  has  gone 
to  the  diggings,  leaving  business,  ships,  and  stores,  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  The  persons  who  remain  are  either  persons  carrying 
on  profitable  branches  of  commerce,  the  very  existence  of  which 
requires  the  presence  of  principals  upon  the  spot,  and  their  clerks 
and  servants,  who  have  been  tempted  by  high  wages  to  stay. 
To  give  an  idea  of  the  rate  of  remuneration  paid,  I  may  mention 
that  salesmen  and  shopmen  have  been  receiving  at  the  rate  of 
from  two  thousand  three  hundred  to  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
dollars,  with  their  board,  per  annum.  Mere  boys  get  extravagant 
salaries  in  the  absence  of  their  seniors ;  and  the  lowest  and  most 
menial  offices  are  paid  for  at  a  rate  which  only  such  a  wonderful 
influx  of  gold  would  render  credible. 

But,  even  with  the  inducement  of  this  high  pay,  it  was  found 
exceedingly  difficult  to  retain  the  services  of  persons  engaged  in 
commercial  and  domestic  capacities.  I  learned  from  Colonel 
Mason  that  the  officers  in  garrison  at  Monterey  had  not  been  able 
for  two  months  to  command  the  assistance  of  a  servant.  Indeed, 
they  had  been  actually  obliged  either  to  cook  their  own  dinners, 
or  to  go  without.  Every  one  had  taken  his  turn  in  the  culinary 
department,  and  even  Colonel  Mason  had  not  been  exempted. 

The  prevalence  of  sickness  at  the  mines  has  sent  a  few  people 
back  here ;  but,  with  the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season,  1 
anticipate  that  there  will  be  plenty  of  labor  in  the  market,  and  that 
its  value  will  become  correspondingly  depreciated.  In  the  mean 
time;  the  general  aspect  of  the  town  is  forlorn  and  deserted  ;  stores 
are  shut,  houses  blocked  up.  and  in  the  harbor  ships  ride  solitary 
and  defenceless. 


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One  neat  volume,  I2mo.     Price,  paper  cover,  75  cents  ;  cloth,  $1  00. 

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aeresting  account  of  a  visit  to  a  portion  of  the  South  American  Continent  as  little  known  to  travellers  and  readers  of   oo 
ravel,  as  was  that  Eden  in  the  Marquesas,  Typee,  before  Mr.  Melville  stumbled  upon  it,  and  which  the  author  truly  itylai 
garden  of  the  world.'     Buy  it  and  read  it."  —  U.  S.  Gazette.  ~ 

IV. 

A  Summer  in  the  Wilderness; 

Embracing  a  Canoe  Voyage  up  the  Mississippi  and  around  Lake  Superior. 

BY    CHARLES    LANMAN. 

One  neat  volume,  12mo.     Paper  cover,  50  cents  ;  cloth,  63  cents. 


is  a  r«y 
f  books  at 


"  Lanman  is  one  of  our  most  pleasing  writers,  and  in  this  book  he  has  described  the  romantic  scenes  and 
onnected  with  his  visit  to  one  of  the  most  romantic  spots  of  our  country,  in  a  style  admirably  suited  to  the  subject.    It  h  m 
ook  to  read  and  re-read  with  increasing  pleasure  —  Tribune. 

','. 

What  I  Saw  in  California; 

Being  the  Journal  of  a  Tour,  by  the  Emigrant  Route  and  South  Pass  of  the  Rodfjf 

Mountains,  across  the  Continent  of  North  America,  the  Great  Desert 

Basin,  and  through  California,  in  the  years  1946,  47. 

"All    of  which    I    saw,    and    part   of  which    I    was.'" 
BY  EDWIN   BRYANT,  ESQ., 

LATE     ALCADK     OF     5T.     PRAX  CISCO. 

One  volume,    12mo,   of  about   450   pages. 

The  work  of  which  the  foregoing  U  the  title,  has  been  prepared  by  a  gentleman  who  was  an  eye-witnew  of  what  ha 
escribes  ;  and  his  opportunities  of  acquiring  information  (by  observation  and  his  official  station)  give  to  thin  work  more  UMB 
sual  value  and  authority. 

THE     BEST     AMERICAN     T  R  A  V  E  L  L  E  R  '  8     G  U  I  D  E  . 

-T   PUELISirED. 

Appleton's  Railroad  and  Steamboat  Companion; 

Being  a  Traveller's  Guide  through  the  United  States   of  America,    Canada,   Nctf 
Brunswick,  and  Nova  Scotia. 

Illustrated  by  31)  Maps,  engraved  on  Steel,  including  four  Flans  of  Cities,  and  embellished  with  Twenty-six  Engrariigk 

BY   W.   WILLIAMS. 

One  handsomely  printed  volume.     Price  §1  25  ;  or,  \vi;h  Maps,  colored,  !j>l  50. 

"  This  is  emphv.kaUy  a  '  traveller's  guide.'  The  rainutenes«  of  its  detkili,  the  number  and  correctness  of  iU  map  imA  ••> 
ravings,  and  the  '  statistics,  render  it  superior  to  any  work  of  the  kind.  With  thU  comptnioK  OM  YssKiaf  4^ 

lace  tor  •  •-:  himself  a  stranger'  " 


D.    APPLETON    &    COMPANY 


«RANTLEY  MANuR.  A  Tale.  3y  Lady 
Georgiana  Fullerton : 50 

JJFE,  ANECDOTES,  AND  LETTERS  OF  GEN. 
ZACHARY  TAILOR 525 

HANDY  ANDY,    By  Saranel  Lover 50 

£  S.  D.  TREASURE  TROVE.  By  Samuel 
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FORTUNES  O'f  HECTOR  O'HALLORAN. 
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MARGUERITK  DE  VALOIS.    By  Alex.  Dumas.    25 

HISTORY  AND  ADVENTURES  OF  MARGA 
RET  CATCHPOLE.  By  Rev.  B.ichard  Cor- 
bonld • 25 

THE  PEOPLE.    By  M.  Miclie'-* 38 

NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPLORING  EXPE 
DITION  TO  OREGON  AND  CALIFORNIA. 
By  Capt.  Fremont 25 

THE  LIFE  OF  MAJOR  GENERA!,  ZACH- 
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THE  FOOL  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  CEN 
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MY  UNCLE  IIOBSON  AND  I;  or  Slashes  at 
Life.  By  P.  Jones 50 

MEMOIRS  OF  AN  AMERICAN  LADY.  By 
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THE  BETROTHED  LOVERS.  By  Alex.  Man- 
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FROST'S  BOOK  OF  GOOD  EXAMPLES.  12mo. 
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lustrated 1  00 

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FROST'S  BOOK  OF  ILLUSTRIOUS  ME 
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FROST'S  LIFE  OF  GEN.  Z.  TAYLOR.  12mo. 
Illustrated 1  25 

DON  QUIXOTTE.  Translated.  Illustrated  with 
Steel  Plates 1  50 

GILBLAS.  Translated.  Illustrated  with  Steel  Plates  1  50 

ROMANCE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  LOUIS 
IANA.  By  Charles  Gayarre 1  00 

TU  OVERMAN'S  AMERICAN  ARTIST-LIFE.    75 

KING'S  TWENTY-FOUR  YEARS  IN  THE 
ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC 1  00 

AMY  HERBERT.    A  Tale.    By  Miss  Sewell... .     50 

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SOCIAL  DISTINCTIONS  ;  or  Hearts  and  Homes. 
By  Mrs.  Ellis.  Now  publishing  in  Nos 

NATURAL    HISTORY    OF    THE    BALLET 

GIRL.     By  Albert  Smith 25 

.NATURAL    HISTORY  OF  THE  GENT.     By 
Albert  Smith 25 

A  VOYAGE  UP  THE  AMAZON.  By  W.  H. 
Edwards 75 

A  SUMMER  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  By 
Charles  Lanman 50 

LIFE  OF  MARTIN  LUTHER.    By M. Michelet.    & 

HISTORY  OF  THE  ROMAN  REPUBLIC.  By 
M.  Michelet 75 

HISTORY  OF  FRANCE.  By  M.  Michelet.  2  vols.  3  50 

HISTORY  OF  CIVILIZATION.  By  F.  Guizot. 
4  vols • •.  3  50 

HISTORY  OF  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION. 
By  Guizot.  Ivol 1  25 

LAMARTINE'S  PILGRIMAGE  TO  THE  HO 
LY  LAND.  2  vols 1  75 

WHAT  I  SAW  IN  CALIFORNIA.  By  Edwin 
Bryant 1  00 

WANDERINGS  AND  FORTUNES  OF  SOME 
GERMAN  EMIGRANTS 5t 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  REAL  LIFE  IN  ENG 
LAND.  By  Mrs.  Wayland 31 

WOMAN'S  WORTH  ;  or  Hints  to  raise  the  Fa 
male  Character 3d 

SPUTHEY'S  LIFE  OF  OLIVER  CROMWELL.    38 

EVELYN'S  LIFE  OF  MRS.  GODOLPHIN.  Ed 
ited  by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford 38 

PICTORIAL  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONA 
PARTE.  By  L.  de  Aideche.  500  Engravings. 
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PICTORIAL  VICAR  OF  WAKEFIELD.  By 
Oliver  Goldsmith.  100  Engravings 7 

PICTORIAL  ROBINSON  CRUSOE'S  ADVEN 
TURES.  300  Engravings 1  7J 


\,\  B  R  A 

OF  THK 


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